Ignore manipulated video of Kenyan musician Akothee endorsing joint pain remedy
IN SHORT: A video making the rounds on social media shows Kenyan musician Akothee seemingly promoting an "innovative" joint-pain treatment recommended by a Kenyan doctor. But the video is a fabrication designed to market a dubious product.
A video circulating on social media, mainly on Facebook and TikTok, appears to show Kenyan artiste Akothee promoting a treatment for joint pain.
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In the clip, Akothee claims she suffered knee and back pain for five years, and that doctors only made her condition worse. She alleges that doctors and pharmacies don't really want to cure patients but only want to make money.
She also claims Dr Catherine Nyongesa correctly diagnosed her with a "lack of synovial fluid" and provided treatment that completely cured her. She then urges viewers to buy the same "innovative medicine" through a link, alleging that politicians and pharmaceutical companies are trying to block it.
The video has more than 6.2 million views on Facebook and over 2 million views on TikTok, with thousands of comments, shares and reactions.
The context
Esther Akoth, popularly known as Akothee, is a Kenyan musician and businesswoman.
Nyongesa is a radiation oncologist, the director of medical services at Kenyatta National Hospital, and a co-founder of the Texas Cancer Centre.
Joint pain is a common condition in Kenya, with experts noting an increase in cases. While many joint-related conditions have no permanent cure, symptoms can often be managed through medication, exercise, and lifestyle adjustments.
The video claims that Akothee was cured of chronic joint pain using a treatment supposedly endorsed by Nyongesa. But are these claims true? We checked.
Video is a deepfake spreading false and recycled claims
Several signs show the video is fake and part of a misleading marketing scheme. First, a reverse image search shows that the image is from a different interview with Akothee in September 2024. In the fake clips, her voice sounds slightly different and her lip movements do not fully match the audio, a common indicator of lip-synced fake editing.
Second, Nyongesa is a cancer specialist, not an orthopaedic doctor. She does not treat joint or bone conditions. The video also refers to her as "he", a frequent error in recycled fake-testimonial scripts.
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The video also oversimplifies joint pain as being caused solely by a "lack of synovial fluid", without explaining any medical mechanism.
In reality, joint pain has many possible causes, including age-related wear, injuries, inflammation, arthritis, other diseases and even genetics.
The video also employs several common health scam tactics like claiming a "miracle cure", alleging a conspiracy by accusing doctors and politicians of "hiding" the treatment, and pressuring viewers to act quickly and buy an unnamed product. These are classic red flags in fraudulent health marketing.
Finally, the video has been circulating since 2024, and Akothee herself previously flagged it as a fake and urged her followers to report it.
In conclusion, the video is fake. It uses old, unrelated footage of Akothee from a different interview and relies on artificial intelligence to mimic her voice and mislead viewers in order to sell a bogus product.
