MISLEADING: VIRAL VIDEO FALSELY CLAIMS HEALTH MINISTER ANNOUNCED NATIONWIDE SCHOOL CLOSURE OVER DISEASE OUTBREAK

CLAIM:

A viral video circulating on TikTok claims that Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng announced that all schools would close from June 1 until further notice due to a disease outbreak.

FINDINGS:

To identify the source of the footage, we examined the video and spotted an on-screen caption visible at the bottom of the clip which identifies Dr Jane Ruth Aceng speaking during the “30th Annual Joint Review Mission.”

We then searched for records of the event and found a post published on Dr Aceng’s official X account, showing her speaking at the Joint Review Mission under the theme “Re-imaging an integrated, equitable & efficient health system in Uganda.” The visuals in the post, including the event branding, backdrop, and Dr Aceng’s appearance, match those seen in the viral video, indicating that the footage was taken from the Joint Review Mission rather than a recent announcement about school closures.

Further analysis of the video’s audio raised additional concerns about its authenticity. The voice attributed to Dr Aceng appears to mispronounce her surname, pronouncing “Aceng” with an “s” differently from its commonly used pronunciation with a “ch”. This inconsistency, combined with the use of older event footage, suggests that the audio may have been manipulated or generated using artificial intelligence. 

A review of publicly available records from the event shows that the 30th Annual Joint Review Mission took place in October 2024, meaning the footage predates the current outbreak discussions and is unrelated to any recent announcement about nationwide school closures.

The viral caption claiming that Dr Aceng said, “all schools will close from June 1 until further notice,” is not supported by the footage presented in the video.

During our investigation, we used the Debunk Information Verifier to search for reports and official statements related to the alleged school closure announcement. The search returned reports referencing previous Ebola-related school closure discussions, including a 2022 article by The Independent titled “Ebola: Minister Aceng Backtracks on Early Closure of Schools.” However, these reports relate to Uganda’s 2022 Ebola outbreak and not to the current claim.

We found no credible report, official government statement, or Ministry of Health announcement confirming that all schools would close from June 1 due to the current outbreak.

Methodology:

To investigate the claim, we analysed the viral video, paying particular attention to the on-screen text, event branding, and audio attributed to Dr Jane Ruth Aceng.

We then searched for the original source of the footage and compared it with content published on Dr Aceng’s official social media accounts. We also reviewed publicly available information about the event featured in the video to establish when and where the footage was recorded.

Additionally, we assessed the audio for inconsistencies and used the Debunk Information Verifier to search for official statements and credible reports relating to the alleged nationwide school closure announcement.

Finally, we reviewed announcements from government and health authorities to determine whether any official directive ordering the closure of schools from June 1 had been issued.

VERDICT:

MISLEADING.

The video uses old footage from the 30th Annual Joint Review Mission held in October 2024 and falsely presents it as a recent announcement ordering nationwide school closures. No evidence reviewed confirmed that Dr Jane Ruth Aceng made the statement attributed to her in the viral video.