A deepfake video of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga endorsing a cryptocurrency has turned out to be from a hacked social media account.
The video, which depicted Odinga recommending the digital currency, was uploaded on Thursday, September 18, and shared widely on the internet before it was later pulled down on the evening of the same day.
It now turns out that Raila's X account, which boasts over 2 million followers, was reportedly hacked, and the deepfake was allegedly posted by hackers in a bid to scam unsuspecting Kenyans.
The video depicted Odinga endorsing the dubious product, allegedly rolled out to improve and support the country's economic growth.
"Kenya is stepping up to lead Africa into the crypto revolution, embracing digital finance and shaping a more crypto-friendly future," part of the Odinga deepfake claimed.
However, some curious Kenyans were quick to notice the trickery behind the Artificial Intelligence-generated video, citing unofficial confirmation in a written statement from authentic sources within the government.
At first, Odinga's endorsement of the digital coin seemed genuine, mainly driven by the fact that it came from the veteran politician and since it was shared on an account associated with him.
Unconfirmed data reports indicated that about 20 per cent of the token's supply had been scooped up moments after the Odinga deepfake video was posted.
While the video was later deleted, the incident showed the extent to which crypto scams had gained root on social media platforms, particularly on X.
Meanwhile, the Odinga deepfake video incident came about one and a half months after Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo appeared to have also endorsed the same digital currency.
In a social media post on July 11, Kabogo claimed the crypto aligned with Kenya's goals of fostering technological advancement.
“It reflects the growing confidence in tokenisation as a tool for value exchange, inclusion, and innovation,” part of the post on an X handle associated with the CS read.
