The Russian Embassy in Kenya on Thursday distanced itself from a video clip that went viral that clowned the voice of the Asian country's President Vladimir Putin.
The clip, which went viral primarily on Tiktok, depicted the Russian President expressing his support for Kenyan protesters who have been on the streets for more than two weeks.
In the statement, the Embassy noted that the voice-over was completely fake and that captions had been added over a video of an actual event unrelated to the goings on in Kenya.
"We have noticed that a fake video of the President of Russia has been circulating in Kenyan social media," the Embassy cautioned.
"Completely fake voice-over and captions were added over real footage of a past address by the Russian President. Beware of misinformation."
Since the protests kicked off on June 18, the Russian Government and its leader are yet to comment publicly on them.
However, the Embassy periodically sends an advisory to its citizens regarding dangerous areas to visit due to the protests, which often turn chaotic.
At the beginning of this week, the Embassy advised its citizens to avoid Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) and other problematic times.
"To the attention of Russian citizens located in Kenya: There is currently an increased risk of mass demonstrations in Nairobi and other cities in Kenya," cautioned the Embassy.
"July 2, 2024, it is recommended not to visit the central area of Nairobi."
Kenyan youth, especially Generation Z, hit the streets rejecting the Finance Bill 2024 terming it punitive for Kenyans with the introduction of a raft of taxes.
The protesters further decried a high cost of living and pushed the government to reject the bill in its entirety.
On Tuesday last week, however, lawmakers passed the bill but due to the resultant protests, President William Ruto decided to withdraw it.
He, however, noted that the country will need to borrow Ksh1 trillion to finance the ambitious bill, a move expected to balloon the country's foreign debt further.
