Fact-check: Photo showing two wives of a police officer who gave birth on the same day?

The photos used in the claim were taken in October 2020 at a hospital in Kapoeta county, Eastern Equatoria State, of two women who gave birth to triplets three weeks apart, not on the same day. 

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A Facebook post by Kampala Today on the 13th October, 2022, claimed that a police officer impregnated his two wives and they at the same time gave birth to triplets citing each with two girls, and one boy.

The post which did not mention the name, and the location of the police officer is false.

“Apolice officer impregnated his two wives and they coincidentally gave birth on the same day, each having triplets (two girls and one boy each). What a blessing!!”, the post reads.

The post garnered over one thousand comments, sixty nine shares, and about two thousand reactions.

The screen shot of the Facebook post page

The East African Vibes Facebook page carried the same false claim referring also to the unknown police officer. And it received over seven hundred comments, almost two thousand reactions, and fifty shares.

The screen shot of the post

Earlier the social media Facebook page of Kenyan Report referenced the claim to a man who it said “impregnated his two wives and they coincidentally gave birth on the same day, each having triplets”, which is false. Here there are over five hundred reactions, four hundreds comments, and twenty eight shares.

This is the screen shot

And on 9th, Oct, 2022 Juba TV published on its website headlining that a “Kapoeta woman gives birth to six babies, four boys and two girls”, which appeared to have manipulated the falsehood trend on the triplets story.

Findings:

211 Check discovered, however, that the photo accompanying the claim was reported with a story by Hot in Juba in October 2020, of two women in Kapoeta South County hospital of Eastern Equatoria State who each gave birth to triplets three weeks apart.

“Two women in Kapoeta may have set record of some kind after they gave birth to triplets just 3 weeks apart. The birth of [two] triplets four boys and two girls went viral after a member of the family posted pics of the triplets while still in [h]ospital”, Hot in Juba reported that time.

In addition, Eye Radio reported in October 2020 about another man who abandoned his wife in Kapoeta hospital after she gave birth to triplets (two boys and one girl).

Conclusion:

211 Check has found that the claim of a police officer’s wives having given birth to triplets is false. The photos used in the claim were taken in October 2020 at a hospital in Kapoeta county, Eastern Equatoria State, of two women three weeks apart, not on the same day, after they each gave birth to triplets.