Gates testing new contraceptives on African women? 😳

How a viral story on a new 8-year IUD in Kenya exposed the dark history of Western medicine in Africa

Oh no, you didn’t, Billy

I was scrolling through my feed on Instagram as I do at the start of each week and I came across multiple posts saying the Gates Foundation were testing an 8-year contraceptive on African women. It was accompanied by a picture of Bill Gates shaking Kenyan President William Ruto’s hand.

And the outrage lit up like wildfire.

Here’s the thing that I realised when the dust settled.

Whether this exact story is true or not, it almost doesn’t matter.

What matters is why it spread so quickly and why Africans, in particular, didn’t hesitate to believe it. Myself included.

Let’s be real, Ruto’s reputation didn’t help things.

He’s the darling of the West, feted in Washington and Europe and was named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people in Africa.

All this while his own citizens fill the streets demanding he step down. Yes, there are literally protests all over Kenya to get him out of office. That contradiction is enough to raise eyebrows because since when has America or the UK celebrated an African president that’s actually doing right by their own people?

This is an acid test.

You know when an African leader is really serving his people by how much the West hates him. It sounds ridiculous to anyone who isn’t African because the rhetoric is that African leadership is corrupt and disfunctional. We can’t do anything right. If left to our own devices we ruin our own nations. All the West wants to do is help Africa.

Uhm. Cheers.

Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso? The most popular president in Africa.

Revered by his people, undermined by the West.

William Ruto? Easily one of the most unpopular presidents in Africa right now. Loathed at home, celebrated abroad.

That’s the test. And Ruto fails it as do many African leaders.

This is why the Bill Gates rumour found such fertile ground in the minds of so many Africans. It felt completley logical to us.

But let’s zoom out.

Why is Gates and by extension the Gates Foundation always linked to Africa and birth control in the first place?

Because they have actually put billions into contraception programs across Africa.

That part is not rumour. It’s public record.

Which is why when you hear “new contraceptive trial in Kenya,” your brain says: “Of course. That sounds exactly like what they would do.”

That’s the power of reputation. It doesn’t matter if the specific allegation holds up. The pattern already exists. And Africans have seen this play before.

This situation tells us something bigger about trust, leadership, and how easily we can be set up for the okie-doke. It’s not just about Ruto or Gates. It’s about how we tell who’s riding for Africa and who’s just wearing the mask.

So here’s what I want you to take away:

When next you hear or read one of these stories, don’t just ask if a story is true.

Ask yourself why it feels true.

Apply the acid test to leaders and celebrities.

If the Western press is applauding, be suspicious.

If they’re attacking, look closer; they might be serving their people.

Remember that even “rumours” can reveal truths about the system that official reports never will. That’s the real lesson of this firestorm.

The deeper question I mentioned above:

Why are Western powers so obsessed with African birth rates in the first place?

There are clear reasons for this and it’s not about helping Africans live better lives.

That’s what I’ll break down in the upcoming premium article:
Obsession With Black Births: Why Africa’s Demographics Scare the West

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