Clues of manipulation
At first glance, the video looks realistic, with Koinange’s lip movements even seeming to match the words he’s saying. His body movements look natural and the voice is very close to his own.
But when we took a closer look and listened carefully, we noticed signs of manipulation. Koinange’s voice in the video has a slight West African accent, unlike his usual Kenyan accent.
We took a screenshot of the part where the woman talks about how the app has supposedly benefited her and her husband. A reverse image search of this keyframe led us to the original video, where she appears in the same setting, but her speech is different. In the original video, she speaks in Kiswahili, not English, and she’s not talking about a gambling app.
We also noticed that there is a man wearing glasses in the background when Koinange is speaking. A reverse image search of this frame led us to a longer video of Koinange reporting on a pastor accused of scamming people. The original video was posted on 24 April 2024 on the YouTube channel of Citizen TV, one of Kenya’s most-watched stations.
This video is an example of a deepfake, where artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been used to create content that impersonates someone. Some existing footage is used as a source, such as Koinange’s Citizen TV report. From this and other footage, AI tools analyse the person’s voice and mouth or facial movements, and create a realistic new video in which the person appears to say something they never did.
Other clues
The tone of the video is overly positive and promotional. Koinange’s claim that the gambling app has guaranteed returns is a red flag. The testimonies of the three alleged app users are very enthusiastic, using phrases like “real miracle”.
It is also strange that the app’s name is not mentioned throughout the video.
We did not find the video on Koinange or Citizen TV’s social media pages, another clear sign that it is a fake.
A legitimate news story promoting a gambling app would normally have a responsible gambling disclaimer, which is missing in the circulating video.
Africa Check has previously exposed other deepfakes here, here and here.
Read our guide to spotting content generated and manipulated by artificial intelligence.