Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga says AI, deepfakes causing panic over missing children

Kenya's National Police Service has attributed growing public concern over what many perceived as a sharp rise in child disappearances to the spread of fabricated content online, including material generated through artificial intelligence tools and deepfake technology, according to police spokesperson Michael Nyaga Muchiri.

Speaking in response to widespread alarm across Kenyan social media platforms, Muchiri acknowledged public anxiety but cautioned against accepting unverified reports at face value, asserting that a significant portion of circulating material concerning missing children had been manipulated or entirely fabricated.

The remarks triggered immediate backlash from parents' advocacy groups, child rights organisations, and members of the public who argued that the spokesperson's framing minimised genuine cases and discouraged families from coming forward. Critics contended that dismissing the issue as an AI-driven panic risked eroding public trust in law enforcement at a critical moment.

Child welfare organisations in Kenya have long documented structural challenges in the handling of missing persons cases, including slow response times, inadequate coordination between county and national authorities, and a general lack of a centralised missing persons database. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations operates a dedicated unit for such cases, but advocacy groups say resources remain stretched.

The controversy also highlighted broader anxieties about AI misuse in Kenya, a country that has seen rapid smartphone and internet penetration. Deepfake technology and AI image generation tools have become increasingly accessible, enabling the creation of convincing false content that spreads rapidly through platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, both widely used across the country.

The National Police Service had not issued a formal follow-up statement addressing the criticism at the time of publication.