Kenya’s latest pro-democracy protests had been marked by violence, looting and property destruction. In response, President William Ruto instructed police to shoot vandals within the legs and convey them in for trial, reasonably than killing them. Following these occasions, a video is circulating on social media with a declare that it reveals Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni criticising the best way the Kenyan police dealt with the protesters. However that is false; the video is from Museveni’s six-day trek in 2020 commemorating the 1986 liberation wrestle, throughout which he cautioned his safety forces towards wielding their weapons at civilians when managing crowds.
“President Museveni not completely happy for Kenyan police utilizing extreme power on protesters (sic),” reads the textual content overlaid on a TikTok video revealed on July 11, 2025, and shared greater than 8,000 occasions.
Extra textual content overlay quoted in English and Swahili reads: “Don’t level your weapons at civilians, they don’t seem to be enemies,” whereas the accompanying caption on the submit reads, “Museveni criticized Kenyan President William Ruto for police brutality on protesters.”
Screenshot of the false submit, taken on July 21, 2025
The video reveals Museveni wearing a navy uniform, giving an deal with whereas holding a Y-shaped stick.
“Even in case you’re guarding, don’t level your gun in the direction of the residents, direct it at your enemies. Yesterday I used to be seeing these younger boys,” Museveni says within the clip as he makes capturing gestures in the direction of the viewers. “That’s very dangerous orientation. It means you don’t know who the enemy is.”
“Even when they are saying ‘management the gang’, your gun must be in your again like this,” he provides, pointing at his personal again.
Comparable claims had been revealed on elsewhere on TikTok, Fb and X.
Capturing orders
The video was shared on the heels of Kenya’s 35th anniversary of the “Saba Saba” (Swahili for “Seven Seven”) pro-democracy protests of July 7, 1990, which paved the best way for Kenya’s multi-party democracy (archived right here).
This yr’s Saba Saba commemorations had been marked by nationwide protests, characterised by a violent police response, loss of life, looting and destruction (archived right here, right here and right here).
Ruto claimed the protests had been an try by the opposition to “overthrow” his authorities, telling the police, “Anybody who burns down another person’s enterprise and property, allow them to be shot within the leg and go to the hospital as they head to courtroom. Sure, allow them to not kill, however shoot and break the legs” (archived right here and right here).
The directive got here simply weeks after Kenya’s minister of inside and nationwide administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, ordered police to shoot anyone approaching a police station, following equally violent prior protests that noticed a number of police stations vandalised (archived right here and right here).
Nonetheless, the social media posts with a clip purportedly exhibiting Museveni reacting to the latest occasions in Kenya are fals
Unrelated previous video
At no level within the clip does Museveni point out Ruto, the Kenyan police or the latest protests.
AFP Reality Test carried out reverse picture searches for keyframes from the video, and the outcomes established that the clip predates the latest unrest in Kenya.
The clip was initially revealed by Ugandan media outlet NBS Tv on January 5, 2020 (archived right here).
“President Museveni says that the Police ought to have their weapons behind their backs when requested to manage the gang,” reads the submit.
In each movies, the Ugandan chief is seen in an identical apparel, holding the identical stick, and standing behind two microphones with yellow mic foam covers. An orange tent can be seen within the background.
Screenshots evaluating the false submit (left) and the unique clip revealed by NBS Tv
On the time, Museveni had launched into a six-day trek dubbed “Africa Kwetu” (“Our Africa”), a 195-kilometre stroll retracing the route his Nationwide Resistance Military (NRA) guerrilla forces took after they seized energy in 1986 (archived right here).
We discovered no credible supply of proof exhibiting Museveni commenting on the latest demonstrations in Kenya.
Nonetheless, he did discuss Kenya’s 2024 anti-tax protests, which culminated in a breach of parliament, warning Ugandan youth towards staging comparable protests in their very own nation (archived right here and right here).
