Viral video alleging Kenya pulled out of WHO, misleading

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Elizabeth Ogunbamowo

Claim: Social media users share a video claiming Kenya has withdrawn from the WHO.

Verdict: False! The video used to push the narrative on social media was taken from another context, and no credible media organisation reported Kenya’s purported withdrawal from the WHO.

Full Text

Since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, social media has been awash with information—some true, some false, and others entirely misleading.

During his swearing-in ceremony on Jan 20, 2025, Trump signed a series of executive orders that have impacted several countries worldwide. 

One key announcement during his swearing-in ceremony was the United States’ decision to withdraw from the WHO by Jan 2026. This also includes an end to future funding for the organisation and a major shift in the U.S. approach to global health policy.

According to reports, Washington has recalled all U.S. government personnel working with the WHO and ordered them to cease involvement in negotiations for the WHO-led global treaty on handling pandemics.

Expectedly, the move has attracted a flurry of reactions from stakeholders who expressed concerns that this action may negatively impact the global health system.  

However, some social media users have applauded the steps taken by the US and urged African countries to follow suit. Amid the reactions, a video surfaced on social media showing a man speaking about why Africans should no longer trust the WHO.

The man, whose identity was not explicitly stated, appeared to be addressing someone in higher authority. He alleged that while WHO introduced a campaign aimed at eradicating neonatal tetanus in the country, there were components in the vaccine that may be responsible for the increase in infertility cases among young couples.

He said, “We cannot afford to trust the WHO anymore, Your Excellency. I’ll just mention a few things that have caused great concern to us. In 2014 and 2015, WHO launched a tetanus eradication campaign in our country. It was a campaign to eradicate neonatal tetanus.”

“The vaccine that was used is a different type of a vaccine that is a fertility regulating vaccine where they take tetanus and combine it with a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin that supports pregnancy, and when you inject a woman with that vaccine, she produces antibodies against that hormone and therefore is rendered sterile, so we are now seeing an increase in the number of infertility cases among young people who you examine and they are normal but cannot get children…” He added.

The video’s content was different from the caption, which read, “Kenya withdrawals from the World Health Organization (sic).” 

DUBAWA observed that many of those sharing the clip were doing so based on its caption, which can be seen here, here and here. Given the vitality and sensitivity of the issue, DUBAWA fact-checked the claim.

Verification

Using the INVID plug-in, DUBAWA observed that the video had been shared online eight months ago, in June 2024, when Donald Trump had not been elected.

However, at the time, the narrative was not that Kenya had pulled out of the WHO. Those who reshared the video at the time only expressed concerns about the issues raised by the speaker.

A longer version of the video was posted here. It shows Kenyan Gynaecologist Wahome Ngare addressing the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, on why African countries cannot trust the WHO.

The medical expert noted that the WHO had been a cornerstone of medical care in African countries but raised concerns about a proposed amendment to convert the WHO from an advisory body run by bureaucrats who are not elected to an administrative authority that will have the power to usurp the sovereignty of member states.

He further went on to speak on the issue of the neonatal tetanus eradication campaign carried out by the WHO in Kenya which has ‘allegedly’ impacted the fertility of people in the country. He also noted that a paper was published in that regard as seen here. 

A keyword search on the doctor showed that he has been speaking against certain vaccinations brought into African countries, arguing that they could negatively affect people’s health. 

In an interview with BBC, Wahome explained why he stands against HPV vaccination for young girls.

Meanwhile, online reports as to whether or not Kenya had pulled out of WHO showed the claim was misleading. The East African country had only stated its intention to explore various strategies to strengthen its health systems after the US announcement to withdraw from WHO.

According to local newspapers, the Director-general of health, Dr Patrick Amoth, said the country would strengthen bilateral health partnerships by working with other nations and institutions to fill the funding and expertise gaps resulting from the US action.

Also, the country’s State Department for Public Service PS Amos Gathecha reportedly said Kenya would find ways to cope if the US exits the WHO. None of the reports noted Kenya’s interest in leaving the WHO.

Dr Wahome, who was in the viral video, also addressed the confusion, noting that his remarks were directed at the Ugandan president.

Conclusion

The claim that Kenya has pulled out of the WHO is misleading. The video used to push the narrative was used in another context.