Information that is manipulated in a comedic manner, it is mostly innocuous but has a slight potential of creating misinformation or undermining legitimate factual information.

Fact-check: This picture depicts Bauchi State, Nigeria, not Yei County, South Sudan 

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This picture does not show Yei County but Bauchi State in Nigeria.

Writer: Nancy Ceasar

There is an image of a highway, a car, and a mountain view posted on 9th August 2023 on a Facebook personal account created in 2009 with 7.2k followers with the caption, “Which place is this in, Yei?”

It is false. The place in the picture is not Yei.

This post attracted some comments and likes, and the commenters were guessing because they couldn’t tell which place it was, making it a reason to fact-check whether it was Yei River County.

This is a screenshot of the post.

This post attracted comments, and some commenters gave suggestions because they did not know whether it was Yei.

Investigation:

Visual Clues: Yei, a Central Equatoria State town, has no tarmac road. The roads and streets are also not as wide as those in the picture.

211 Check performed a reverse image search on the picture using Google Lens Search. The results show that Bauchi friends posted the image on Instagram on June 10th, 2021, with the caption, “This is a paradise for mountaineers and hikers. Which of the frames is your favourite?” “Mbula Hills, Dass LDA of Bauchi State, Nigeria, NG”

A screenshot of the picture that Bauchi’s friends posted

And the same picture was posted by Top Travel and Tour on Instagram with the caption “Top Places of Interest in Bauchi.” “Mbula Hill is one of the many hills in Bauchi state, located in the Dass local government area of Bauchi State.”

Mbula Hill, which is about 4100 feet high, is one of the major tourist destinations in Dass. Mbula Hill is an ideal destination for mountain climbers and hikers. When you plan on exploring Bauchi, remember to put Dass on your list”. This was shared on 5 January 2020.

The People, Relief, and Landforms of Dass Emirate posted the same picture with the caption, “As part of an effort by the present administration government and Governor Muhamad Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi State to explore tourism potentials in the state, Atewa Daily Blog deems it paramount to compile brief facts from Dass Emirate.” 

This picture was posted on 13 July 2017

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the picture claimed to be a part of Yei false. The photo shows Bauchi State, Nigeria.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

Fighting misinformation and disinformation in the media is crucial to avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

Fact-check: Picture misidentified as Juba, South Sudan

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This picture shows Johannesburg, South Africa

Writer: Nancy Ceasar

A Facebook page New Sudan posted an image with the caption, “Juba, South Sudan ♥ ️” is false.

This post, published on 16 July 2023, attracted 1.7K likes, 258 comments, and 57 shares. The page posted this picture.

Does this picture show Juba, South Sudan?

Investigation:

211 Check carried out a Google Reverse Image Search on the picture,  and the results showed that the picture had been used by different people referring the picture to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Most beautiful place in the World posted this picture on August 25, 2020, with a caption.

Screenshot of the picture as shown by Most Beautiful Places in the World

In addition, Angelillo posted the same on Pinterest with the caption “Jacaranda Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa”. 

Additionally, Agajahub Publisher posted the picture with other pictures, captioning them “List of 30 beautiful cities in Africa and their pictures”.

The most beautiful natural places in the World posted the same picture on 29 August 2020.

I Love South Africa posted the image with the caption, “Jacaranda trees are here to stay,” says the city of Tshwane, which was posted on 28 October 2022.

Architecture and design  – Johannesburg’s Jacaranda on 12 February 2019.

A screenshot of the post

Conclusion:

211 Check has found out that the image making rounds claiming to be Juba, South Sudan, is false. The picture shows Johannesburg, South Africa.

Juba is the capital of South Sudan, the largest city of South Sudan, and the capital of the central Equatoria state. It’s the world’s newest capital city, while Johannesburg, South Africa, is the biggest city and capital of Gauteng province. It began as a 19th-century gold-mining settlement.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

Fighting misinformation and disinformation in the media is crucial to avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

Fact-check: Did thunder strike these people in Uganda because of mobile phones?

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No, the incident happened in India and was unrelated to mobile phone use. 

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A message circulating on WhatsApp claiming that some people in Uganda were struck by thunder while taking shelter under a tree because their phones were on is false. 

The message, accompanied by a 13-second video, alleges that the supposed casualties were struck dead because their phones were not switched off and warned people to put phones off when it is raining.

“Hi brethren. This is a horrific scene. Thunder struck people dead in Uganda because their phones where not off when they were taking shelter under a tree. Caution, let’s always put our phones off when it is raining (sic),” reads the text. 

In the video, four people are seen falling to the ground after a lightning flash while sheltering under a tree as it rains.

The screenshot of the WhatsApp message

Investigation:

A Google reverse image search returned that the video has been shared on various online platforms. 

According to ‘WildFilmsIndia’, the video shows four men being struck by lightning while taking shelter during rain under a tree in Gurgaon Park, India. It was uploaded in March 2021.

The video was also shared here in December 2021, and the text accompanying it translates to a warning that people should avoid wired phones except in emergencies.

The same video was shared in January 2022 by here, accompanied by text that warned people not to take shelter under the tree and that they should turn off their phones or put them on flight mode. 

This site also posted a video with an Arabic text that warned people to stay away from trees and tall metal objects during thunderstorms. 

Findings

A keyword search on ‘thunder strike people in Uganda’ on Google returned several media reports regarding lightning strikes that killed people in Uganda but not because their phones were on when raining.

According to a BBC report in August 2020, 10 children were killed by a lightning strike in the Arua district of Uganda while sheltering in a grass-thatch hut.

In 2011, The Christian Science Monitor reported that lightning struck a primary school and killed 20 pupils, and about 100 were injured. No reference was made to mobile phones being the reason for the lightning strike.

It is also important to note that thunder is a sound wave caused by a flash of lightning and it is created when the lightning’s energy passes through the air. Lightning heats the air rapidly with a temperature of about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,760 degrees Celsius) and the rapid expansion and contraction creates the sound wave known as thunder, according to the National Weather Service.

Does a cell phone attract lightning? No

According to AccuWeather, cell phones do not attract lightning. However, using a landline phone during a thunderstorm is dangerous because of its connection to the outside wire as lightning follows the wire to the handset.

Source: Channel Future 2018, credit: Shutterstock

Scientific literature published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information in 2006, which cited the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report, indicated that mobile phones are not a lightning strike risk. 

Conclusion

Media reports about lightning strikes that killed people in Uganda did not cite mobile phones as the reason for attracting lightning when raining. 

Additionally, there are no recent reports of such an incident in Uganda, and according to Ugandan Police Force Spokesperson Commissioner Fred Enanga, “We have never registered such an incident of lightning here. Most incidents are football-related, schools, gardening, and the chairs in the video are not common here (sic).”

On the other hand, reports from Indian media, as seen here and here, show that the incident took place in India. It was also said that the men only suffered burn injuries, and there is no mention of mobile phones as the cause. 

No publicly available proof exists that lightning strikes people when it rains because of switching mobile phones on or using them. However, using landline phones when raining poses a risk. 

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

Fighting misinformation and disinformation in the media is crucial to avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

Fact-check: Is this a photo of the President of South Sudan holding an Illuminati contract?

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No, the picture has been altered. The original photo shows President Salva Kiir Mayardit receiving an invitation letter from a representative of the Turkish president.

Writer: Beatrice Amude Paulino

A Facebook post with an image of South Sudanese president Salva Kiir holding a piece of paper with the words ‘Illuminati contract’ is false. 

The post by ‘Membership Supremacy’ states some benefits of becoming an Illuminati member and is accompanied by four images, including one of Kiir holding the supposed contract.

Screenshot of the post.

Investigation:

A reverse image search of the photo using Google Lens brings up the original photo as featured in an article by the Sudan Tribune published on January 11, 2023. The story’s title reads: “South Sudan’s Kiir invited for a conference in Turkey.’’

The image shows Turkey’s envoy to South Sudan, Erdem Mutaf, presenting the invitation letter to Kiir on behalf of the Turkish president. 

The original image clearly does not bear the ‘Illuminati contract’ text and has also been shared here. 

Conclusion:

211 Check has found that the picture making rounds on social media purportedly showing the President of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir, receiving an ‘Illuminati contract’ is false. The image shows Turkey’s envoy to South Sudan, Erdem Mutaf, presenting an invitation letter to Kiir on behalf of the Turkish president. 

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

 To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter

Fact-check: Are these photos of Sudanese military general Col. Ibrahim Shemseddin?

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No, the men in the photos are Omar Zain al-Abdin, former Head of the Sudanese military council’s political committee in uniform, and Lomoni Lewan whose photo was taken in the Turkana region of Kenya.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A tweet with images claiming to show Sudanese military general Colonel Ibrahim Shemseddin in a malnourished state in detention is false.

One of the images is supposedly of the general in military attire, and two others are of him in detention by former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s regime. 

“Politics and its cruelty: “The person you see in the picture below is called Colonel Ibrahim Shemsedin. The man was Sudan’s most powerful Security Chief, locked up in underground detention by President al-Bashir’s regime”, reads the August 2, 2023 tweet. 

Screenshot of the tweet

The claim depicts a political turnaround and portrays that the military Colonel was once powerful but ended up in prison under former Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir.

Investigation

However, a Google reverse image search established that the photos presented in the claim are of two different individuals.

The man in the military attire is Omar Zain al-Abdin, former Head of the Sudanese military council’s political committee. The photo was taken while he was addressing a press conference in 2019 after the overthrow of President al- Bashir from power.

On the other hand, the elderly, malnourished man is Lomoni Lewan. His photo was taken in the Turkana region of Kenya by BBC correspondent Ronclife Odit, who tweeted about it the same year, according to the France 24 website.

Lewan’s photo has also been used in the past claiming to show a political prisoner detained in an underground tunnel since 1995 in the Sudanese city of Omduman. However, it was fact-checked by AFP and found to be false.

According to United Press International’s (UPI) article, Col. Ibrahim Shamseddine, Sudan’s former deputy minister of defence, died in a plane crash in 2001 alongside other senior military officers during an inspection visit to Malakal.

Real photos of Colonel Ibrahim Shamssedine, source: France 24 

Conclusion:

The photos in the claim are not of Col. Ibrahim Shamseddine. The men in the photos are Omar Zain al-Abdin, former Head of the Sudanese military council’s political committee in uniform, and Lomoni Lewan whose photo was taken in the Turkana region of Kenya.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s important to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives. Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

HOAX: This website offering free 50GB data to celebrate WhatsApp’s 10th anniversary is a scam

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The website is fake since WhatsApp’s 10th anniversary was celebrated in 2019

Writer: PesaCheck

This website submitted for fact-checking via PesaCheck’s WhatsApp Tipline, supposedly offering WhatsApp users 50GB of data as part of the company’s 10th anniversary, is a HOAX.

To get the purported data, participants are required to provide their phone numbers and share the link with 12 friends or in WhatsApp groups.

The website has several red flags, among them a suspicious URL, a request for personal details (phone number), and the requirement for users to share the link before receiving data. The red flags prompted us to investigate the website.

Despite PesaCheck following all the steps outlined in the alleged promotion, we did not receive the promised free data. In the final stage, the verification tab was unresponsive and repeatedly redirected us to unrelated web pages.

Additionally, we performed a Whois search and established that the website was registered on 29 January 2023, while the authentic WhatsApp website, Whatsapp.com, was registered in September 2008.

Legitimate sites are usually older than hoax sites. Bogus sites also tend to have concealed registrant details.

From left to right: a WHOIS search for the imposter vs that of the legitimate WhatsApp site.

The website claims that the free data is in celebration of WhatsApp’s 10th anniversary. However, the instant messaging application was founded in 2009 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019.

On WhatsApp’s verified Twitter account and Facebook page, there’s no information on any such promotion.

PesaCheck examined a website submitted for fact-checking via PesaCheck’s WhatsApp Tipline, supposedly offering WhatsApp users 50GB of data as part of the company’s 10th anniversary celebration and found it to be a HOAX.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s important to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives. Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

ALTERED: This image purportedly of Bill Gates under armed watch by US Federal marshals is manipulated

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The photo is from an old #DeathPenaltyFail campaign video.

Writer: PesaCheck

This image on a Facebook post purportedly of Bill Gates under armed watch by US Federal marshals at Guantanamo Bay is ALTERED.

The billionaire is strapped to a gurney, according to a claim attributed to The Washington Post.

The post reads: “Bill Gates Arrested by US Federal Marshals; Being Held Under Armed Watch at Guantanamo Bay; Charged With War Crimes Against Humanity. Washington Post.”

A keyword search on The Washington Post’s website shows the media house did not publish such an article on Gates. There is also no information on the alleged arrest from a credible source.

A reverse image search on TinEye established that the image is old and is not of Gates as claimed.

The original image is from a YouTube video available on World News Network (WN.com) dated 16 April 2019 with the title, “#DeathPenaltyFail A Lethal Injection”.

The video description reads: “This video contains images that some viewers may find offensive. A painstaking reconstruction of a real-time execution by lethal injection that highlights some of the very specific issues relating to the USA’s preferred execution method. Using CCTV footage, authentic set design and a script based on real life events, the reality of a lethal injection is heightened to uncomfortable levels.*”

The video is part of the #DeathPenaltyFail campaign pushing for the repeal of the death penalty in the US. It appears on the campaign’s website and was first uploaded on 25 August 2016 on their YouTube channel.

A closer look at the image in the claim alongside the original one shows similarities that indicate Gate’s face was photoshopped into the latter, and a blue filter was added to the image in the claim to make it look different from the original.

From left to right: Image in the claim versus original image

PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post with an image purportedly of Bill Gates held under armed watch by US Federal marshals at Guantanamo Bay and finds it to be ALTERED.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s important to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives. Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

Fact-check: Is UNHCR running this poverty alleviation programme?

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No, the message circulating online is a hoax.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A widely circulated WhatsApp message claiming that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is running a poverty alleviation programme of up to KSh 107,736 thousand is a hoax.

Screenshot of the forwarded message.

On clicking the forwarded link, the site claims that the UN refugee agency has a government poverty alleviation subsidy and users are directed to a questionnaire that asks whether one knows UNHCR, the person’s age, one’s opinion about UNHCR, and the person’s gender.

The screenshot of the questionnaire

After answering the four questions, it directs one to randomly choose one of the six boxes to win the prize. 

The screenshots of the claim web pages

After that, it states that one needs to share with five groups or 20 friends on WhatsApp in order to inform them about the promotion, and it requires an address to complete the registration before the gift is to be delivered within 5-7 days.

211 Check Investigation

A keyword search using “UNHCR government poverty alleviation subsidy” returned no such programme or subsidy. 

However, there is a related refugee agency’s poverty alleviation coalition “for economic inclusion” in partnership with the World Bank and other 13 non-government organisations. 

The search result on Google also returned that the same claim was widely shared among WhatsApp users in Uganda in July 2023, which PesaCheck debunked as a hoax.

On further investigation, we found that the site’s Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link in the claim is flagged as dangerous and suspicious by Web Paranoid, a cyber security tool for checking the authenticity of the website. It also established that there is no link from the claim’s URL to any social media account or page, and the website was created less than half a year ago.

A Virustotal analysis of the claim’s URL also categorised it as malicious, malware, suspicious, and phishing. 

The advert’s url also uses an outdated protocol which is not secured and supported on some devices.

A Whois domain search of the site’s URL shows that the domain name, which is different from the UNHCR’s domain, was registered in March 2023 and expires next year in March 2024.

The screenshot shot of the claim link’s domain data

Meanwhile, the WHOIS information on the UNHCR’s global website shows that its domain was registered in May 1997, and expires in May 2024.

The screenshot of the UNHCR WhoIs data

The website domain name fortunecash.click is also not consistent with the URLs of official organisations or institutions which usually have ‘.org’ in their URLS as is the case with the authentic UNHCR website. 

It is clear that the domain does not match that of the legitimate UNHCR website, and there is no advertisement of such kind on its website including social media accounts.

Conclusion:

The site appears to have impersonated UNHCR’s poverty alleviation coalition program that seeks to empower refugees and host communities around the world to overcome poverty.

However, the claim that UNHCR is running a government poverty alleviation subsidy is a hoax designed as a phishing scam to lure people to provide their personal information.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s important to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives. Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter

Fact-check: Was this picture of a man holding a gun taken in Bugolobi, Kampala?

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No, the photo shows Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama. It was taken during anti-government demonstrations in Kenya, where demonstrators attacked his hotel.

Writer: Jibi Moses

A picture of a man holding a pistol accompanying a story by the Ugandan website The Ankole Times, with the headline “Gun Drama Unfolds in Bugolobi Market, Private Security Guard Unleashes Mayhem,” is false. 

The photo shows the man holding a pistol on a deserted road, with a few bodaboda men and journalists taking pictures. It also shows shopping arcades (stores) that were closed and a road that was clearly marked.

“In the not-so-bustling market of Bugolobi, a surprising turn of events unfolded when a private security guard, Aijuka Rode, decided to play cop in a local drinks and merchandise shop. Unfortunately, his aim wasn’t as impressive as his delusions of grandeur. A female shopkeeper, Mutesi Zainabu, found herself caught in the crossfire of an alleged altercation with our wannabe Rambo. Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the less-than-heroic incident…,” partially reads the article published on July 29, 2023.

A screenshot of the article by The Ankole Times.

211Check Investigation:

An internet search of the keywords “A guard shoots people at Bugolobi market” returns many results confirming the incident as reported by the following media houses, here, here, here, and here.

The news reports by the media established the identities of the guard as Arode Aijuka and the victim of the shooting as Zainabu Mutesi. The incident also reportedly took place at night, raising doubts about the image used by The Ankole Times. 

A Reverse Image Search of the picture shows that the image has been used on earlier dates by different users, including the Ankole Times, this time with a headline on demonstrations in Kenya. The article makes reference to a Kenyan MP brandishing a firearm at protesters.  

Consequently, a keyword search using ‘MP Holds a Gun in Kenya in 2023’ produced many results showing that the man in the photo is Nakuru West Member of Parliament Samuel Arama.

The MP reportedly drew his gun when a group of demonstrators allegedly vandalised his hotel during anti-government protests on July 19, 2023. The incident was widely reported, as seen here, here, here, and here. 

In a news report by Kenyans.co.ke, the MP is quoted as having said: “We are all Kenyans; we also voted for Raila, but he lost to William Ruto. Why should these people destroying property not get shot?”

A screenshot of  part of the publication in Kenyan.co.ke paper

Conclusion.

211 Check finds the picture used by the Ankole Times purportedly showing a guard who shot a woman in Bugolobi as false and misleading. In the picture is Nakuru West Constituency MP Samuel Arama, The image was taken during the demonstrations in Kenya, where demonstrators allegedly vandalised his hotel.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives. Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter 

Fact-check: A tornadic incident didn’t happen on Lake Victoria in July 2023

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No, this video was taken on Lake Bunyonyi in January 2019 during an occurrence called waterspout.

Writer: Jibi Moses

A video circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook showing a water body flashing water in the air, claimed to have taken place on Lake Victoria in July 2023, is false. 

The video shows people taking pictures and recordings, shouting, and ululating.  Some of the voices are heard crying in English…. “We are going to die,…… if we keep quiet it will come, it will continue…”

 The video accompanies the text: “This happened in Lake Victoria yesterday. What could it be?”

A screenshot of the video with a few follow-up comments. 

The follow-up comments on the video shared raised suspicion and prompted an investigation. 

Investigation:

211 Check ran a Google Lens Search on the video, bringing in multiple results, with videos and pictures of the same scene dating back to 2019.

According to various sites, the incident happened on Lake Bunyonyi and was termed a tornado.

In one report dated January 22, 2019, by the Monitor, a mainstream Ugandan newspaper, the incident was reported as ‘Panic as tornado hits Lake Bunyonyi.’

The story narrated how residents witnessed an unfamiliar occurrence on the lake during a rainy evening. This caused panic among residents as it was happening for the first time in the area. 

 “Mr. Didas Kyarikora, alias Swansea, another resident of Mugyera in Bufundi Sub County, Rubanda District, said that although he saw a cloud of white smoke, he could not figure out what it was. However, he added that an elder informed him that it was a tornado hitting the lake,” reads part of  the article. 

A screenshot of the article from the Monitor publication

Other sources that gazetted this moment are shown here and here.

The Uganda Media Centre, the agency facilitating communication of government policies, programmes, and projects to the public through the media, also reported the incident on Twitter but differed in how they explained it. According to them, the occurrence is called a waterspout.  

Upon tracing the difference between the two, this is what we discovered: to start with, they are both columns of rotating air. The main difference is in where they form. A tornado begins over land, while a tornadic waterspout develops over water or moves from the land to the water. There are also other types of waterspouts.

Waterspout formation typically occurs when cold air moves across the Great Lakes, resulting in large temperature differences between the warm water and the overriding cold air.

Marine Insight, a publication about nature, has this to say:

   “……Waterspouts can occur at any place all over the coastal regions of the world. There is no particular place, as per scientific explanation, where they are more likely to happen. However, despite that fact, some regions worldwide witness waterspouts more often than others. The Florida Keys, Cienfuegos Bay in Cuba, and the waters of the Great Lakes are the most common places where waterspouts have been spotted.”

Conclusion:

The claim that a tornado happened in July 2023 on Lake Victoria is false. The incident, a waterspout, happened on Lake Bunyonyi in Southwestern Uganda, bordering Rwanda, in 2019. The phenomenon is an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter