GOSSIP: Amid AI Deep-Fake Video Controversy, PS Singoei’s Hidden Past Comes to Surface

Nairobi, Kenya – February 22, 2025 – Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Singoei is no stranger to the spotlight, but this week, he’s found himself at the center of a storm that’s less about diplomacy and more about scandalous whispers.

The drama kicked off when Singoei posted—and then hastily deleted—an AI-generated deepfake video featuring CNN’s Fareed Zakaria praising Kenya’s role in Sudan’s peace efforts.

The blunder, which racked up over 60,000 views before its deletion, sparked a frenzy of online backlash, with Kenyans on X calling it everything from “disturbing” to an “international embarrassment.”

Singoei, clearly rattled, issued a mea culpa on Friday, saying, “I sincerely apologise for inadvertently posting an AI-generated video… I regret any confusion this may have caused and thank everyone who flagged it as a deepfake.” Too late, PS—the internet never forgets.

Enter Aoko Otieno, the self-styled maverick and anti-government blogger with a knack for stirring the pot.

While the deepfake fiasco was still sizzling, Aoko swooped in, claiming she’s dug up dirt on Singoei that’s juicier than a tabloid headline.

In a series of explosive posts on X, she didn’t just stop at critiquing his diplomatic gaffe—she went full throttle, dragging his personal life into the fray. Aoko allegedly posted photos of Singoei’s ex-wife, daughter, and current wife, turning his private world into public fodder.

“His arrogance is coz anapanda a second hand mzungu single mother,” she sneered, branding him a “house nigger” who supposedly flaunts his status by dating white women. Ouch—Aoko’s pen is clearly dipped in venom.

But the blogger wasn’t done. She pivoted to Singoei’s ties with President William Ruto, alleging a bromance that’s been simmering since 2015.

According to Aoko, Singoei has been Ruto’s legal consigliere, part of a trio that included current Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and Bomet Senator Hilary Sigei.

Their law firm—Sing’oei, Murkomen, and Sigei Advocates (SMS)—allegedly got tangled up in the infamous Sh6 billion National Youth Service (NYS) scandal, a cash-grab saga that’s still a sore spot in Kenya’s political lore.

Aoko’s digging points to old reports that tied the firm to the mess, though she’s serving it up with her signature flair: no receipts, just spice.

The plot thickened when Aoko lobbed another bombshell—this time about the controversial deportation of four Turkish nationals last October.

The group, reportedly asylum seekers in Kenya, were whisked back to Turkey in what critics called a shady move.

Singoei had previously defended the extradition, citing “robust historical and strategic relations” with Turkey, but Aoko’s got a different story.

She claims it was a clandestine op orchestrated by Ruto and his Turkish business cronies, with Singoei as the puppet master. “Ruto and the Turkish Gava partners are engaged in drilling crude oil in Somalia,” she dished.

“Deal was, extradite those asylum seekers and we help you drill.” If true, it’s a geopolitical soap opera worthy of a Netflix special—oil, asylum, and backroom deals, oh my!

Aoko’s revelations—whether fact, fiction, or a bit of both—have tongues wagging across Kenya. She’s positioned herself as the whistleblower du jour, taking glee in peeling back the layers of Singoei’s polished persona.

The PS, meanwhile, hasn’t clapped back at her salvo of accusations, leaving the rumor mill to churn unchecked. Is this a case of a blogger gone rogue, or has she actually struck gold in the murky waters of Kenya’s elite?

One thing’s for sure: between the AI blunder and Aoko’s gossip grenade, Singoei’s week has been anything but diplomatic. Stay tuned—this tea’s still brewing.