The rise of Deep Fakes due to AI boom. Photo/Courtesy.
By Daisy Okiring
NAIROBI, Kenya: As artificial intelligence tools flood the Kenyan market, a worrying pattern is emerging: unqualified individuals posing as experts in medicine, law, education, journalism, and financial services. What began as a celebrated technological revolution has quickly morphed into a regulatory nightmare, with AI now enabling anyone with a smartphone to impersonate a professional — often with dangerous consequences.
Kenya has been eager to position itself as East Africa’s AI innovation hub, boasting early adoption of automation tools, rapid internet penetration, and a youthful tech-savvy population. From banks integrating AI fraud systems to county governments experimenting with AI-powered service delivery, the country has embraced the digital shift with impressive speed.
But alongside that progress has emerged a new type of fraudster: the AI-enabled quack who uses generative tools to produce medical diagnoses, draft legal contracts, impersonate financial consultants, generate academic certificates, fabricate journalistic reports, and even clone voices for identity theft.
Regulators admit they are struggling to keep up.
“This is unlike anything we’ve dealt with before,” a senior official at the Communications Authority told us in an interview. “AI has lowered the barrier to entry for skills that once required years of education. Now anyone can pretend to be anything.”
The rise of fake doctors, teachers, and consultants
In several counties, health officials say they have encountered a growing number of cases linked to online medical advice produced by AI chatbots or by individuals claiming to be licensed doctors.
One Nairobi mother recounted how she relied on medical instructions shared by a self-proclaimed online consultant who used AI tools to issue prescriptions. Her child later developed complications that required emergency admission.
“I thought I was talking to a real paediatrician,” she said. “The profile had diplomas, testimonials — everything looked real. I later learned all of it was generated using AI.”
Teachers Service Commission officials have also raised concerns about individuals applying for private tutoring jobs using AI-generated teaching certificates and lesson plans. Several schools report that newly hired tutors could not demonstrate basic subject knowledge despite presenting flawless digital portfolios.
Private universities say the issue is spreading rapidly. Admissions officers are struggling to verify documents as fake academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and CVs created using AI become increasingly hard to distinguish from real ones.
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Journalism faces a crisis of trust
The media industry, already battling misinformation, is encountering a new wave of AI-generated fake journalists who run blogs, websites, and social media channels with fabricated news stories copied from legitimate outlets and rewritten using AI.
In one recent incident, a viral article announcing a fictitious government reshuffle — written in newsroom style, complete with fabricated quotes — spread widely on X before being debunked by the Ministry of Interior.
“We are seeing people who have never stepped inside a newsroom producing convincing ‘news articles’ in minutes,” a senior editor at a major Kenyan newsroom said. “The public cannot tell the difference between credible reporting and AI-generated fabrications.”
Editors note that some genuine journalists are now losing assignments to inexperienced content creators using AI to mass-produce stories at a fraction of the cost.
AI-created legal advisors and accountants spark alarm
The Law Society of Kenya says they have received multiple complaints from citizens who unknowingly hired AI-powered “legal advisors” online. These platforms provide legal templates that appear professional but often contain serious errors that jeopardize cases.
In one instance, a land dispute escalated after both parties filed agreements downloaded from a non-existent law firm run entirely using AI-generated content.
Certified accountants are also sounding the alarm. Bogus financial advisors are using AI to create audit reports, tax filings, investment proposals, and risk assessments. Some even use AI voice-cloning to impersonate officials from well-known financial institutions.
“People are losing money to scammers who can generate entire financial portfolios in a few clicks,” said an auditor familiar with the cases. “Clients can no longer distinguish a licensed professional from an AI-enabled con artist.”
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A booming dark market of AI-generated credentials
Kenya’s thriving digital economy has also given rise to underground platforms selling fake documents powered by AI. These include, academic certificates, practicing licenses, appointment letters, ID cards, employment records and business permits.
Investigators say these documents are sophisticated, high-resolution, and virtually undetectable by the untrained eye. For some, even employers struggle to verify authenticity without manually contacting institutions.
A cybercrime investigator at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations explained that AI has changed the entire landscape of fraud.
“Previously, criminals needed printers, forgers, or specialized software. Now they only need a chatbot and a design tool. The quality is shockingly high.”
Why Kenya is especially vulnerable
Experts say several factors make Kenya fertile ground for the misuse of AI: high smartphone penetration, widespread unemployment among youth, a fast-growing gig economy, lax enforcement of digital regulations, limited digital, literacy among citizens and weak verification systems in both public and private sectors.
Kenya’s rapid adoption of technology, while positive for economic growth, has inadvertently become a loophole exploited by opportunists.
Real professionals express frustration
Licensed professionals across multiple industries say AI misuse is devaluing their work. Doctors accuse fake online consultants of damaging public trust in the medical field. Journalists complain that AI-generated content is flooding the market, undercutting quality journalism. Teachers say fake tutors are harming students academically. Lawyers warn that clients are now showing up in court with AI-generated arguments that do not meet legal standards.
“We are watching the erosion of professional integrity,” said a Nairobi lawyer. “People believe AI can replace professionals, but they don’t understand the consequences until it’s too late.”
Government’s plan to crack down on AI misuse
The government says it is drafting a national AI policy to regulate the use of artificial intelligence across sectors. The Ministry of ICT has proposed:
• mandatory digital identity verification
• licensing of AI-powered service providers
• criminal penalties for impersonation using AI
• guidelines for responsible AI use in health, education, and media
• a national AI risk-mitigation unit
• increased public awareness on digital fraud
However, experts warn that without swift action, the consequences could spiral further.
A double-edged sword
AI is undoubtedly transforming Kenya — enhancing efficiency, lowering costs, boosting innovation, and improving access to services. But without safeguards, it is also empowering a new generation of quacks who threaten public safety, professional standards, and institutional trust.
As one academic put it:
“AI is powerful, but like any power, it requires boundaries. Kenya must decide whether it wants AI to build the future — or to break it.”
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