Claim: Kenyan gardener rejects vehicles, opts for chicken as retirement benefit
Source: TV3, Citi FM
Verdict: False
Researched by Alfa Shaban
Two Ghanaian media organisations, Citi FM and TV3 Ghana, shared flyers claiming a retiring Kenyan gardener rejected a gift of Mercedes and a BMW from the German Embassy and opted for chickens to start a poultry farm.
The flyer shared by TV3 Ghana on its Facebook and X pages on August 31, 2025, had the caption “A Kenyan gardener, Hesbon Imbwaka, who had been promised a Mercedes and a BMW upon retiring after 34 years of service at the German Embassy in Nairobi, has surprised many by opting for chickens instead.” TV3 cited The Kenya Times as the source of the information.
The image on the flyer showed the gardener, identified as Hesbon Imbwaka, being handed a fowl by the German Ambassador to Kenya, Sebastian Groth, and an unidentified woman.
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The post on X attracted significant reactions with over 182,000 views, 127 comments, 364 reposts, 3,500 likes, and 148 bookmarks. Comments ranged from praise for a smart decision to doubts about why he would reject two cars for chicken.
On September 1, 2025, Accra-based Citi FM also shared a flyer about the same Kenyan gardener story. The flyer had a QR code that links to a story published on citinewsroom.com, as curated from The Kenya Times.
This fact-check will investigate the claims on the flyers.
Fact-check
GhanaFact’s search showed that The Kenya Times portal had a prior story on the gardener on August 1, referencing a post by the Ambassador announcing that Hesbon was due to retire at the end of August after 34 years working with the German Embassy.
The portal appeared to be the only mainstream news outlet in Kenya to carry the story. This was the main trigger for us to investigate the story.
GhanaFact reached out to the ambassador via X, seeking clarification on whether the Embassy had indeed previously offered Hesbon cars.
“Hey Abdur, of course, this was an ironic statement (the 68 cars) after so many commentators proposed a retirement premium for him. How can anyone in this world believe that Germany gives out 68 cars for retirement? Most people understood the joke, some just didn’t want to…” the Ambassador stated.
Presented with the TV3 flyer and asked whether their post was misleading, he said: “Yes, they didn’t fact-check properly (didn’t contact me) and missed out the irony. I think with purpose.”
We found the August 1 exchanges where the ambassador first referred to a car gift for the retiring gardener.
The initial ‘offer’ of vehicles was a satirical remark by the German Ambassador who said the retiring gardener will receive a BMW and Mercedes for every year he worked with the embassy – which meant he would get 34 BMWs and 34 Mercedes Benz.
The claim that instead of 68 cars, the gardener had opted for chicken was later reported by news organisations based on a post the ambassador says was ironic.
In an interview with the Nation Media group, Imbwaka clarified that the statement on the ‘rejected Mercedes and BMW cars’ was only a joke.
“Let people know that I couldn’t have made such a decision. I know the value of a car and chickens,” Imbwaka said. Reports indicate that he got hens, chicken feed, and a feeder from Ambassador Groth.
Verdict
The claim that a gardener had rejected a gift of cars and opted for chicken is False.
