On Sunday, July 2, social media was awash with images of the former Mombasa governor, Ali Hassan Joho, sporting a T-shirt bearing the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) insignia.

In the photo, Taufiq Balala, a former Mombasa County Executive Committee (CEC) member in charge of transportation, infrastructure, and public works, stood next to John while he held a phone.

Balala wore blue pants and a grey T-shirt, while the previous governor sported a dazzling yellow T-shirt.

Several others shared the picture throughout the day. However, a Twitter user going by "The Kaslim" handle was the first to share the picture.


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Because the caption said, "Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has officially ditched Raila's ODM Party and joined the ruling UDA Party," most Kenyans questioned whether the devoted Azimio follower had left the party for UDA.

Others, on the other hand, denied the allegations, claiming that the former governor could not have made such a snap choice because he was loyal to Azimio leader Raila Odinga.

"I don't yet think Joho can join UDA in order to save his company. In other words, his primary concern was his own survival. A user urged, "Let former governor Mombasa come out and disclose his political position.

Fact Check

However, Waza News Google backward search revealed that the image had never been published online before.


A deeper search on Waza News revealed that Taufiq Balala had published an identical image five days earlier.

Balala wore blue pants and a grey T-shirt, while Joho wore a yellow unbranded T-shirt.

This suggested that the logo and appearance may have been altered to deceive viewers or forward an unauthorized goal.