This archive report was first published on 3 January 2022.
On 14 December 2021, a photo of Nzoia Sugar FC player Levis Barasa was shared on social media, claiming he had been awarded a packet of sugar as Player of the Match. The photo was tweeted and also picked by a blog, which reported the negative reaction by Kenyans online.
However, a fact-check on the photo showed that the caption is misleading. A Google reverse search revealed that the photo was taken during the unveiling of the player in October 2021, not after a match. The sugar he is holding was part of product promotion, as he was advertising the product of the club's sponsor, Nzoia Sugar Company.
According to sports journalist Cedrick Siambi, who clarified the matter on 16 December, the photo was taken when the player was unveiled at the club back in October, while the sugar he is holding was not a prize from the previous game.
Additionally, a Google search does not yield positive results, indicating that no media house reported about such news. The story was produced by Business Today in partnership with Code for Africa's iLAB data journalism programme, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.
