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Claim: A Facebook page shared the image of a severely deteriorated road, claiming it shows sections of the newly inaugurated 91-kilometre Kiang-Kabada road in The Gambia’s Lower River Region.
Verdict: False. The image does not show the Kiang-Kabada road. Residents who use the road, photographs from the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the State House photographer, and DUBAWA’s own visits to the area all point to a different-looking road. DUBAWA could not independently establish where the image was taken.
Full Text
On Oct. 26, 2026, a Facebook page, Hello Gambia, shared the image of a severely deteriorated road, claiming it shows the 91-kilometre Kiang-Kabada road.
The post’s caption reads: “Some sections of the 91-kilometre Kiang-Kabada Roads Project, inaugurated by President Adama Barrow on Saturday, 24 October, at a ceremony held in Sibito village, Lower River Region.”
When DUBAWA reviewed the post six hours after it was published, it had at least 384 comments, 78 shares and 595 likes.
The image drew mixed reactions. Some users questioned whether it was genuine and said they knew the road well. Others accepted it as real and criticised the project.
One Facebook user, Modou Njie, disputed the image, stating: “It is totally false. I trekked those roads well before construction, during construction and also after construction.”
Another user, Dawda Sanyang, warned against the spread of inaccurate information, saying: “Disinformation is a threat to democracy, peace, and national unity. Our votes should be guided by facts, not lies.”
The claim comes as The Gambia heads towards its December 2026 presidential election. Misleading images of public infrastructure can distort how people judge government performance and how they vote. The Kiang-Kabada road is also publicly funded, so discussion of its quality should rest on credible evidence.
Verification
To verify the claim. DUBAWA ran the image through GeoSeer, an AI-based geolocation tool. It suggested a rural road in Ghana or Nigeria. The tool specifically named Tamale, Ghana, as the most likely location. The tool gives probabilistic estimates, not verified findings, and DUBAWA treats the result only as a lead. It does not confirm where the image was taken.
The data indicates the location is Tamale, Ghana, at coordinates 9.4052° N, 0.8424° W. A summary of Geoseer’s analysis states that the image shows a rural asphalt road.
DUBAWA further contacted residents of the area. Sainey Bah, from Kiang Dumbuto, said the image does not accurately represent the road and called it “a completely fake image.” Isatou Jallow, another resident, also confirmed the viral image is not the new road.
Some Facebook users who said they use the road regularly echoed the residents’ submissions. One user said the road in the image appears similar to the stretch between Soma and Fonko Kunda, which is in far better condition than the image suggests.
DUBAWA obtained drone photographs of the road from several angles across Kiang from Saul Touray, a photographer at the Office of the President. The NRA also published photographs on Oct. 24, 2026, the day of the inauguration
The NRA’s photographs show sections of the road with smooth, dark asphalt; white lane markings of varying clarity; and a mix of grassy and exposed reddish-brown lateritic shoulders, surrounded by lush vegetation and dense scrubland.
Together, the image-analysis findings, the residents’ account, and the available photographs from the NRA raise substantial doubts about the authenticity of the image Hello Gambia shared. However, DUBAWA could not independently establish where the image was taken.
DUBAWA contacted Hello Gambia via messenger, but they have not responded to our request for tangible evidence that the road they posted is the newly inaugurated 91km Kiang Kabada.
Hello Gambia has yet to respond or acknowledge receipt of the messages.
Conclusion
The image does not show the newly inaugurated Kiang-Kabada road. Residents familiar with the road say the image does not depict it, and photographs published by the NRA and the State House photographer show a visibly different road. Therefore, the claim that the image shows sections of the Kiang-Kabada road is false.