Tag Archive for: #FactCheck

Fact-check: MTN South Sudan isn’t offering a free 10GB Christmas offer?

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A WhatsApp message claiming that MTN South Sudan is offering a 10 GB free Christmas gift is a hoax.

Writer: Makur Majeng

A message circulating on WhatsApp that claims MTN is offering a 10GB Christmas gift to its customers is a hoax.

“Yello! It’s MTN Christmas Offer. 10GB. Enjoy 10GB Christmas Offer Valid till 31st December,” the WhatsApp message says.

The screenshot of the claim on WhatsApp 

When you click the link in the message, you are directed to a one-page website titled “MTN 10GB CHRISTMAS OFFER.” 

The website prompts users to click a “CLAIM 10GB” button, which then asks for the user’s phone number. 

Regardless of how many times you click, the website informs you that your MTN number is eligible to receive the 10GB Christmas offer.

The screenshot of its web pages

The website then provides instructions to claim the 10GB offer, including sending a message to 12 WhatsApp groups, selecting your phone type, and completing other tasks. However, upon completing these tasks, users are redirected to a different website that provides no information about the MTN Christmas offer.

Claim Verification:

A Google keyword search for the MTN Christmas offer of 10GB yields no official results or information from MTN.

MTN South Sudan, which usually announces such offers through its official social media channels, did not put up such an offer.

211 Check investigation into the URL on Virus Total identified the website as phishing, malicious, and containing malware. This confirms the website’s intent to deceive and collect personal information from users under false pretences.

Conclusion:

211 Check has found the claim that MTN is offering a 10GB Christmas gift false. The website linked in the WhatsApp message is not affiliated with MTN, and it is a phishing scam designed to deceive users and collect personal information.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: Mc Lumoex is a South Sudanese singer, not a Ghanaian

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Mc Lumoex has been incorrectly labelled as Ghanaian instead of being recognised as a South Sudanese singer.

Writer: Christopher Luate Obede 

A Facebook post published by Legit.ng Breaking News, featuring an image of a South Sudanese singer, Mc Lumoex, referring to him as a Ghanaian, is false.

Legit.ng Breaking News is a verified Facebook page that describes itself as a modern digital news platform in Nigeria with over 2.8 million followers. “Ghanaian Singer Forced to End Performance Abruptly After Trousers Ripped Apart While on Stage,” it said in its report.

Screenshot of the Facebook post by Legit.ng Breaking News.

Claim Verification:

A reverse image search by 211 Check finds that THE SOUTH AFRICA also published the image’s caption with a video clip shared on Facebook by a South Sudanese blogger, Hot in Juba. 

TUKO.co.ke, a Kenyan digital news outlet, also reported the same incident during performances at the South Theatre Academy Awards at Juba’s Freedom Hall on Friday, 22 December 2023.

Google search for “Mc Lumoex” only returns results with his bio related to South Sudan, not Ghana.

Who is Mc Lumoex?

Mc Lumoex, who said in an interview with the City Review Newspaper that his real name is Isaac Lumori Anthony, is a South Sudanese artist who has recorded several songs. He says that apart from his artistic job, he serves as a network engineer in the field of ICT (Information Communication Technology)

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim that Mc Lumoex is a Ghanaian false. The singer is a South Sudanese, based on his online biographical information.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: NILEPET staff didn’t write this planned demonstration letter

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Nile Petroleum Corporation (NILEPET) swiftly debunked the letter as fraudulent on their official Facebook page.

Writer: Christopher Luate Obede

A Facebook post published by Sixty 4 Tribes Press, a page that describes itself as an ‘internet company’ on 1 December 2023 with a letter allegedly written by aggrieved NilePet staff about a planned peaceful demonstration, is false.

The letter was also shared and forwarded to WhatsApp groups with the same caption shared on Facebook. “Nile Petroleum Corporation staff had planned for a peaceful demonstration scheduled for Monday, 04 December 2023, at 8:00 am at the Nilepet Headquarters (HQ), Thongping residential area,” the letter read in part. 

Nile Petroleum Corporation, also known as NILEPET, is a national company established with a mandate to participate in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas activities on behalf of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan. 

A letter allegedly written by aggrieved NilePet staff about a planned demonstration

Claim Verification:

Nile Petroleum Corporation dismissed the published letter with the stamp “fake” by sharing its screenshot on its official Facebook post.

“Nilepet will not hesitate to take the necessary legal action against those who continually use our image and branding to publish content in a negative light,” their Facebook post reads in part.

The company, NILEPET told The City Review Newspaper that the allegations of planned strike were just social media rumours. The news report stated that the staff were going on with their duties, and there was no protest.

Screenshot of the Facebook post by NILEPET.

On the same Facebook page, Sixty 4 Tribes Press published another fake letter claiming that the aggrieved Nile Petroleum staff had called off the protest to first submit their demands to the new chairman of the board of directors.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds a Facebook post with a letter claiming that Nile Petroleum Corporation staff planned for a peaceful demonstration, false.  

The company, on its official Facebook page, Nile Petroleum Corporation and in a news report dismissed the letter as fake.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: This picture isn’t of an Olympic stadium design to be built in South Sudan

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This image is of an  Egyptian Olympic Stadium design and not South Sudan.

Writer Doki Simon James 

A Facebook post by Ruweng Eye on 29 September 2023 with the picture of an Olympic City stadium design allegedly to be built in a new administrative capital in South Sudan is false.

The post‘s caption, shared by Ruweng Eye, reads in part, “The stadium’s design was inspired by the South Sudanese Royal necklace. South Sudan aims to become the first African country to host the Olympic Games in 2036.”

This post generated 292 reactions, 47 comments and one share.

The picture of the Olympic Stadium design

Screenshot of the Facebook post published by Ruweng Eye

Claim Verification:

On conducting a Google Reverse Image Search, the picture was found to have been circulated earlier by sports and news websites from across the African continent. These include FootballAfrica on Reddit, African Soccer Updates on Twitter and Basic Sports Network in Nigeria website, all confirming the stadium was built in Egypt and not South Sudan.

On 28 June 2023, FootballAfrica, Basic Sports Network in Nigeria and African Soccer Updates all posted the same image on their official account pages with the below captions:

FootballAfrica on Reddit

“The New Administrative Capital Stadium is almost complete, with an expected capacity of over 94,000 people. It will be the largest stadium in Egypt and the second largest in Africa, and is expected to replace Cairo International Stadium as the new Egyptian National Team stadium.”

Basic Sports Network in Nigeria shared the same picture made  by Sampson Adedeji on their website with the caption “Egypt Set To Complete 2nd Largest Stadium In Africa.”

African Soccer Updates on Twitter 

“The New Administrative Capital Stadium is almost complete, with an expected capacity of over 94,000 people. It will be the largest stadium in Egypt and the second largest in Africa, and is expected to replace Cairo International Stadium as the new Egyptian National Team stadium.”

The post claim made by Ruweng Eye used the flag symbol of Egypt before the name South Sudan, which shows a fabrication of information.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim made by Ruweng Eye of an Olympic stadium being built in a new administrative capital in South Sudan false.

The picture and the text claims were of a new national stadium currently under construction in Cairo, Egypt, with an expected completion date in 2024.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: This photo of muddy shoes wasn’t originally taken in Juba

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This image is from Kenya and not from Juba, South Sudan.

Writer Doki Simon James

A Facebook post published by Juba Eye on 7 November 2023 displaying a pair of gumboots and shoes with muddy soil particles allegedly from Juba is false.

Juba is the capital city of South Sudan.

“Hunting down side chicks in Juba on rainy days is never easy,” the post caption reads. This post attracted 362 reactions, 26 comments and five shares.

Screenshot of the Facebook Claim by Juba Eye

Claim Verification:

Upon conducting a Google Reverse Image Search, the same picture was found to have been circulated earlier on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts from Kenya with varying locations, dates and claims.

On 05 November 2023, the picture was shared by Miss Smiles on Twitter with no caption but tagged #Solfest23, another Kenyan-based Twitter account. On the same date, it was posted on  Facebook by Qmax Media,  a Kenyan-based digital creator, with the caption in Kiswahili, “Na tulikua tuma-warn Kweli hii mvua imezidi”

On 06 November 2023, the Picture was shared on Instagram by gukenafmkenya with the caption, “Weather of 2🤣🤣 Ndikunyitwo ni homa nie😂”

In all the above posts, the photo has been used for humour.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds that the picture of muddy shoes published in a Facebook post by Juba Eye, allegedly from Juba in South Sudan, is false. 

The picture’s origin can be traced to social media posts from Kenya.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: WhatsApp NOT offering 1000 GB of free internet as a 10th-anniversary data gift

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As the imposter website link claimed, WhatsApp is not offering 1000 GB of free internet as its 10th-anniversary data gift.

Writer: Rufina Isaac

A WhatsApp message being shared widely with a link claiming that WhatsApp is offering 1000 GB of free internet as a WhatsApp anniversary data gift is a hoax.

The message claims that WhatsApp is offering data gifts to celebrate its 10th anniversary, but WhatsApp’s 10th anniversary was celebrated in 2019.

“To celebrate our 10th anniversary we give 1000 GB of free internet. Check this Out, Free 50GB (All Networks) valid for 90 days in Celebration of WhatsApp Anniversary,” the message reads partially.

 Screenshot of the claim as shown on WhatsApp  

On clicking on this link,  will pop up and block the user from further accessing the website. 

      

 Screenshot of the anti-virus Kaspersky blocking device threat

Claim verification:

The WhatsApp message claims that the free data is being offered to celebrate WhatsApp’s 10th anniversary. However, the instant messaging application was founded in 2009 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019.

211 Check investigated the link, scanning the URL using VirusTotal. This online tool analyses suspicious files, domains, IPs, and URLs to detect malware and other breaches. It automatically shares them with the security community to determine the safety of the link to online viruses and other scams. 

Nine security vendors flagged the URL as containing malicious and phishing content. 

Screenshot of the analysis by VirusTotal of the imposter URL

Another scan was done through  Whois.com, a publicly available database containing domain name registration information. Searching both websites shows different results for the fake and original links.

                           

   screenshot of the fake URL of WhatsApp

    Whois information of the original WhatsApp website 

Conclusion:

211 Check finds a WhatsApp message with a link claiming to be for WhatsApp, a hoax. Findings show that the link is embedded with phishing and malicious malware intended to steal people’s information and personnel data on the devices. Be cautious of such websites; using the official website, WhatsApp.com, is always advisable.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: South Sudanese event promoter Kay Two is alive, not dead

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On his official Facebook page, Promoter Kay Two dismissed the news as fake.

Writer: Christopher Luate Obede

A Facebook post on Dhakdit media alleging that a South Sudanese event promoter named Promoter Kay Two is said to have died the evening of 23 November 2023 with a short illness in Juba teaching hospital is false, 

Dhakdit media, which has around 41 followers and 21 likes on Facebook, captioned a picture of Promoter Kay Two claiming the event promoter had passed away in Juba that evening, “A South Sudan music promoter by name Promota Kay Two has died this evening with short illness in Juba Teaching hospital.”

Promota Kay Two, whose real name is Koryom Awet Alor, is a South Sudanese events guru and the founder of K2 Promotions and Events Company Limited.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post

Claim Verification:

Koryom Awet Alor, also known as Promoter K2, dismissed the news as fake by sharing a screenshot of the false post.

“Please disregard any news about me. It’s FAKE NEWS, I’m alive and healthy by The grace of God,” he said on his official Facebook page.

Screenshot of the Facebook post he shared.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds that the Facebook post claiming that South Sudanese event promoter Koryom Awet Alor alias Kay Two died in Juba is false.  According to the evidence here, the music/event promoter is alive. On his official Facebook page, Promoter Kay Two dismissed the news as fake.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

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: Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba didn’t advertise these positions

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This job ad is a scam. Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba did not advertise any job position.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A Facebook page peddling a job advertisement purportedly from Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba is a scam.

The page, which was seemingly created on 17 November 2023, claimed in a Facebook post that the hotel needs more staff in various departments. The post cited the festive season as the reason for the need for more workers, given the increase in the number of both local and international visitors. 

“WE ARE HIRING! We, urgently need staffs in various departments in our hotel. This has been brought by higher number of visitors from both local and foreign visitations during this festive season. As the managing committee, we came into an agreement to recruit more human resource to help in maintaining the smooth operations of the hotel. The interested candidates to apply via the link online sic),” reads the advertisement. 

The screenshot of the fraudulent Facebook page advertisement

The scam job advertisement also attached a Google form for applicants to use to apply for job positions. 

The screenshot of the Google form.

Claim Verification:

211 Check reviewed the Facebook page, which shared the advertisement critically, and it appeared that the page was created on 17 November 2023, given its profile picture update at 6:35 am. The page had one follower at the time we reviewed it.  

Meanwhile, the authentic Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba’s Facebook page was created in 2017 and has 16,000 likes and 18,000 followers. It has the hotel’s official contact information and the location address, and its reviews date back to 2017. A page review also shows that the hotel did not post such job offers.

Further, the official Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba Facebook page linked on the Hotel’s official website, flagged off the job advertisement as fake and cautioned the public against scammers. 

“Kindly note that someone has created a fake Facebook account with our Facebook page name, giving out fake information about jobs adverts…please don’t be scammed! , it’s not our official account,” reads a statement from Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba, posted on its Facebook page.

This is not the first time a hotel job advertisement scam has appeared on social media platforms. In September 2023, a Facebook page impersonated the Radisson Blu Hotel Juba claiming a job offer on various positions, which 211 Check also debunked as a scam.

Conclusion:

The Facebook job advertisement claiming to be from Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba is a scam. Pyramid Continental Hotel Juba did not advertise for any jobs, and the hotel management termed the job advertisement as fake.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with technical support from Code for Africa’s  PesaCheck newsdesk through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).

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: Do these tablets contain phenylpropanolamine, as claimed?

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No, the tablets mentioned do not contain PPA. It is a compound that was banned years ago.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A widely forwarded WhatsApp message warning people about different tablets because they contain ‘Phenyl Propanol-Amide, PPA’, which supposedly causes strokes, is false.

“Avoid these tablets; they are very dangerous: D-cold, Vicks Action-500, Actified, Coldarin, Cosome, Nice, Nimulid, and Cetrizet-D. They contain phenyl Propanol-Amide, PPA, which causes strokes and is banned in the USA,” reads the WhatsApp message.

“Please, before deleting, help your friends by passing it. It might help someone. Forward to as many as you can,” it added.

Screenshot of the WhatsApp message claim forwarded widely in the groups 

The same claim can also be traced to a post by a Facebook user in 2017.

Investigation and Research

A keyword search on Google using the words “Does D-cold contain Phenyl Propanol-Amide” returned many results that show the claim is an old issue that has been fact-checked before. The report also stated that “Phenyl Propanol-Amide, PPA” is not correct; instead, the compound is called “PhenylPropanolamine, PPA.” 

In addition to that, the search results returned a statement issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005 that ordered phenylpropanolamine, or PPA, to be removed from drug products and requested drug companies stop selling products with phenylpropanolamine. 

The FDA, further in the statement, recommended that consumers not use any drug containing PPA and urged them to read drug labels to see if the product has PPA instead of relying on outdated lists of products that may have already been reformulated and no longer contain PPA.

In the same search results, in 2017, the Ayup website published a report about the claim, which confirmed that PPA was no longer in the U.S. markets, citing the risk of stroke in younger women.

The composition of the claimed tablets

Several queries on the Google search engine for each of the claimed tablets found product information associated with the tablets.

According to Apollo Pharmacy – India, D-Cold is formulated to provide relief related to cold symptoms such as blocked noses, headaches, body pain, and sore throats, and its ingredients include paracetamol (500 mg), caffeine (32 mg), and phenylephrine (10 mg).

Vicks Action-500’s package composition includes paracetamol I.P. 500 mg, – Diphenhydramine HCl I.P. 25 mg, phenylephrine HCl I.P. 5 mg, and caffeine (anhydrous) I.P. 30 mg.

The Actifed tablet contains active ingredients called phenylephrine hydrochloride, and the cosome is mainly a combination of chlorpheniramine (antihistamine), phenylephrine (decongestant), and dextromethorphan (cough suppressant).

Both Nise and Nimulid are used to relieve pain and fever, and all of them contain Nimesulide. On the other hand, Cetrizet-D contains cetirizine hydrochloride and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride.

211Check inquired via email to the Swiss Institute of Therapeutic Products if phenylpropanolamine is still being formulated in human medicine, but it said it has been banned for twenty years in Switzerland.

“Phenylpropanolamine has not been authorised in human medicinal products in Switzerland for twenty years,” the Swiss Institute of Therapeutic Products replied. 

Juba-based medical practitioner with Germany Leprosy and TB Relief Association (GLRA), East Africa regional office with operation in South Sudan, Case Thomas Nicholas, told 211 Check via messaging App that phenylpropanolamine was banned due to health risks, and the drugs listed in the claim have no evidence of containing it.

“Phenylpropanolamine is banned in most countries due to [the] increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke to people taking it. There is no evidence that the drugs you listed contain the substance since it’s no longer recommended for use,” said Thomas.

Conclusion

The claim about tablets that contain phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is an old issue being widely forwarded in WhatsApp groups. In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of phenylpropanolamine by drug or tablet manufacturing companies because of the risk of stroke in young women.

Further, according to the claimed tablets’ product information reviewed by 211 Check reviewed,  none of them contain phenylpropanolamine, or PPA.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with technical support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck newsdesk through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).

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: This photo showing pupils doing exams in an open space isn’t from Uganda

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The photo was taken in Yirol County of Lakes State, South Sudan.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A post shared on X (formerly Twitter) with a picture of learners doing exams in the open air supposedly taken in Uganda is false. 

“I have been made to understand that these are learners, and they are doing an exam here. Oh, Uganda! May God uphold thee, We lay our future in thy hand. United, free, for liberty together, we’ll always stand,” reads the post by the X user.  

The screenshot of the X post claims

The author of the post did not establish the name or location of the school but quoted part of the Ugandan national anthem. 

Similarly, in another post, the author whose bio suggests that they are a show host based in Western Uganda, also shared the image claiming he’d been informed that the learners in the photo were in ‘primary seven’ which is when candidates typically sit for exams as they finish their primary level in Uganda. 

A school in Uganda, Busede Seed Senior Secondary School, also shared the same photo here with a statement calling on African leaders to unite and address their problems.

Claim Verification:

211 Check ran a Google reverse image search on the photo claim, and it returned Facebook pages that had shared the photo before. Among them is a Facebook post by Holy Cross Comboni Primary School, Yirol, South Sudan which shared the photo in May 2022. 

The image features on the Facebook page as its cover photo. 

The formerly Juba-based television station, JBS, also shared on its Facebook page in April 2023 about pupils at Holy Cross Comboni Primary School in Yirol County of Lakes State in South Sudan when they were writing their exams using the same photo. 

Besides, 211 Check contacted Mr Malek Arol Dhieu, a former teacher at Holy Cross Comboni Primary School, for comment concerning the photo claim, to which he confirmed our findings. 

“Yes, I can confirm the photo was taken from Holy Cross Comboni Primary School in Yirol, but it is old. The building in the background of the photo is a classroom block for the primary one. The pupils were sitting for the exam outside because the class could not accommodate them all, and [also] to avoid exam malpractices,” said Malek.

Conclusion:

The photo showing pupils sitting for exams in an open school compound was taken in South Sudan, not Uganda, as the claim referenced. Holy Cross Comboni Primary School is in Yirol, Lakes State.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with technical support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck newsdesk through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).

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.