By Michelle Ndaga
Alarm has gripped Kenyans after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s verified social media account was reportedly hacked and used to post a deepfake video appearing to endorse a cryptocurrency dubbed “Kenya Token.”
The video, which circulated widely on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok before being taken down, showed a realistic AI-generated clip of Odinga seemingly encouraging Kenyans to invest in the token.
His team quickly disowned the post, confirmed the account had been compromised, and urged the public to ignore the message.
Blockchain analysts reviewing the token flagged it as highly suspicious, citing signs of a potential rug-pull scam including token allocations heavily concentrated in a few wallets and no verified smart contract audits.
Consumer-protection advocates have warned that unsuspecting followers may have already lost money.
Cybersecurity experts are calling for swift investigations to identify the hackers, trace wallet movements, and prevent further exploitation. Social media users have been urged to verify investment information through official channels and avoid engaging with unverified crypto offers.
Authorities are expected to issue guidance as investigators work with platform operators to determine how the breach occurred and whether funds have already been siphoned from investors.
