This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
June 22, 2020, marked a day of online rumors as Kenyans woke up to reports that ODM leader Raila Odinga had been flown out of the country to China for treatment.
However, ODM Director of Communications Phillip Etale swiftly dismissed the claims, stating that Odinga is currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the AU High Representative of Infrastructure.
Etale took to Twitter to address the rumors, saying, "Ignore the FAKE NEWS. It is the work of sick people who have run out of ideas. Ends."
He further clarified Odinga's whereabouts, stating that he is in Kinshasa, DRC, attending the virtual Pan African Conference on the Grand Inga Dam as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa.
Etale shared a schedule of the meeting, which listed Odinga as one of the speakers.
Despite the clarification, it remains unclear how Odinga managed to travel out of the country despite the government's travel ban due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
