FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Kenyan Building Lit With The Colors Of The Ukrainian Flag?
An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a building in Kenya lit with the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Verdict: False
The image has been digitally altered. In the unedited version of the photo, the building is not lit with any colors.
Fact Check:
Kenya was one of 141 countries that voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a Feb. 25 U.N. Security Council session, Quartz reported. A Feb. 27 Facebook post claims the country took its support for the invaded country a step further and lit one of its buildings in the color of the Ukrainian flag.
The post includes a photo of a tower in an urban area lit with alternating blue and yellow lights. “KICC in Nairobi #Kenya last night lit with #ukraine flag in solidarity,” reads the image’s caption. The “KICC” refers to the Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi, Kenya. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Young Ukrainian Boy Crossing The Border Into Slovakia By Himself?)
The image has been digitally altered. The same image, only without the yellow and blue lights, has been shared online since at least 2016. It can be found in a 2016 article published on the website of The Association Magazine, as well as on the “Nairobi Summit” website, which credits the image as “Courtesy of KICC.”
No such photo of the building being lit up in blue and yellow can be found on KICC’s social media pages or on the Kenyan government’s website. Likewise, there are no credible news reports of the building being illuminated in support of Ukraine.
“That image did not originate from us,” a KICC spokesperson told the website PesaCheck. “Anything that is not on our official website or social media handle is not from us.”
This is not the first time a photo of a notable building has been digitally altered to feature the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Check Your Fact recently debunked a photo that claimed to show the St. Louis Arch illuminated with yellow and blue lights.
