With the rapid uptake of social media and Kenyans having access to smartphones, the internet and other gadgets, social media influencing as a hustle emerged but not all is rosy as painted by players in this complex industry that has claimed many victims.
Recent scandals in which Kenyans suffered losses, including loss of money in fraudulent schemes, products and services endorsed by celebrity influencers is just a tip of the iceberg in the industry valued in billions and which continues to attract many as those with established following on social media cash in on the influence that they wield
The lifestyle ambassadors may have made their cash from lucrative endorsements, but their followers may not recover from the losses.
READ: Profile of controversial TikToker Rish Kamunge - Fraud allegations, ties to Kanyari
Qualities in influencers that brands focus on in the race to stay ahead of competition
In the race to get ahead of competition, brands use celebrity influencers as brand ambassadors and transfer the influencer’s reputation to the products or services, with their followers among those targeted as potential clients.
This tactic takes advantage of the influencer’s established following on social media, their perceived credibility and the fact that the public is likely to believe that if a celebrity or an influencer has used a product or service, then it must be good.
READ: Dalmas Shawn's take on reality of influencing & what Gen Z creators must unlearn
The huge number of followers also guarantees brands that their product or service will interact with the eyeballs of thousands with guaranteed likes, shares and retweets.
Needless to say, the reality is that not all influencers use the products that they endorse/promote and the products may not have the qualities portrayed in the glamorous videos and photos by the modern-day lifestyle evangelists plying their trade on social media.
Influencers as the first line of defence & why trust should not be abused
Owing to the immense influence that they wield on social media and their role in shaping decisions and choices made by their followers, influencers should be the first line of defence by declining to promote products that could harm their followers.
Consequently, they should do their due diligence when marketing for companies to not only maintain their reputation, but also protect their followers from scams.
Failing to do their due diligence has left a number of influencers in situations in which the public trust bestowed on them by their followers is betrayed, with devastating consequences.
Consumer protection and what the law says
Article 46 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and its enabling statute, the Consumer Protection Act were a significant step in the are area of consumer protection.
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Influencers have an obligation under the Consumer Protection Act to declare paid partnerships and advertisement campaigns.
Further, ads must not be misleading with the penalty for those found guilty of false advertising set at a fine of Sh1 million or a prison term of up to three years.
Parliament is tasked with enacting legislation that provides for consumer protection and fair, honest and decent advertising.
Whether some influencers are ignorant of the law or have found a way to circumvent consumer protection laws by disguising apparent advertisements as sharing their lifestyle experience and failing to declare them as paid advertisements is debatable.
Influencers & brands that made headlines from controversies
The case of Lucy Wambui who died after undergoing a cosmetic procedure at a popular cosmetic clinic that had A-list influencers endorsing it, with glamorous advertisements and convincing content that played a role in convincing their followers is still clear.
READ: Betty Kyallo's candid message to influencers after Body by Design fiasco
At its peak, social media influencers churned out videos and photos of their experiences at the cosmetic clinic, fueling its fame and as a premier cosmetic clinic in the country before it all came crumbling with government authorities reigning in.
From Amber Ray to Murugi Munyi, social media was awash with celebrities pushing out content of procedures that they had undergone at Body by Design.
In 2021, Diana Bahati who was LimaVest's brand ambassador from mid-July 2020 to November 2020 publicly apologised, accusing Lima Vest of taking advantage of her influence to scam unsuspecting land buyers.
Diana may have offered an apology but this certainly did not return the money back into the pockets of followers who may have lost money to the company that was owned by Waweru Kuria and his wife Shicco Waweru.
Kenyan TikToker Rish Kamunge is the latest to make it to this list after she was arrested on allegations of running a fraudulent overseas job agency, using her influence across social media to advertise the venture that has left Kenyans counting their losses.
READ: Body by Design: Cosmetic procedures, claims of fatalities, controversies & closure
On March 26, 2025, victims of the job scam stormed her office and dragged her to the police.