Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has drawn criticism online after mistakenly identifying Togo President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové as former President Faure Gnassingbé in a post welcoming a Togolese delegation to Kenya.
In a post on X on Tuesday evening, Miano said she had welcomed “H.E. President Faure Gnassingbé of the Togolese Republic to Kenya” at Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
She added that the Togolese leader was among the dignitaries expected to attend President William Ruto’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Oil Refinery in Lamu.
However, the man pictured in Miano’s post was President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, who was elected president of Togo in 2025. Faure Gnassingbé now serves as President of Togo’s Council of Ministers.
The error quickly drew reactions online, with journalist Kennedy Wandera directly pointing out the mix-up and telling the CS that “this is not Faure Gnassingbé.”
“Again, Faure Gnassingbé is no longer Togo's President. He's the President of the newly formed Council of Ministers. This is Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové. The President of Togo,” Wandera wrote.
Miano later corrected her post, referring to the visiting dignitary by his correct name, Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové.
In the corrected post, Miano said she had welcomed President Savi de Tové to Kenya and described him as one of the global dignitaries expected at Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
She also highlighted Lamu’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site and said hosting the refinery there presented an opportunity to balance infrastructure and energy development with the preservation of Swahili culture and coastal tourism.
The incident has since generated discussion on social media, with users focusing on the error in identifying the visiting head of state.
