A recent endeavor by a group of Kenyan youths to gain traction on social media has taken an unexpected turn, leading to their arrest on charges of tarnishing the reputation of the Kenya Police Service.
The incident unfolded when four TikTokers, including a 17-year-old boy, produced a video depicting a staged robbery just outside a police station in Kilifi town.
Their creation, titled ‘wezi mbele ya police station’ or ‘robbery outside a police station,’ was shared on the popular platform TikTok.
Little did they know that law enforcement authorities would take umbrage at their viral video.
“The viral video of a daylight robbery at the Kilifi Administration Police canteen in Kilifi was not real but a prank by a group of youths creating content for their TikTok account,” confirmed Kilifi North Sub-county Police Commander Kenneth Maina.
In the video, a seemingly inebriated man emerges from the Administration Police (AP) canteen only to be accosted by two individuals on a waiting boda boda who proceed to steal his bag.
Apparently this was ‘content creation’ gone bad. Three filming TikTok prank outside AP canteen in Malindi have been arrested for embarrassing the police station. pic.twitter.com/o7tUbNPEcn
— Kenya West (@KinyanBoy) May 8, 2024
The fourth individual apprehended was responsible for filming the staged scene.
Confirming the incident, Kilifi North Sub-county Police Commander Kenneth Maina disclosed that the culprits were identified through CCTV footage at the AP canteen.
He clarified that the purported robbery depicted in the video was entirely fictitious and orchestrated by the youths for the purpose of content creation on their TikTok account.
“The crew hired a boda boda to ferry them around while they shot their video,” noted Maina.
Assuring the public of Kilifi’s safety, Maina emphasized that there is no cause for concern regarding criminal activities in the area.
He underscored that investigations have been launched, with charges likely to include cybercrimes.
According to Maina, the youths admitted to devising the stunt in a bid to garner followers on TikTok.
“They wanted to attract followers to their TikTok account,” he revealed.
As authorities delve deeper into the matter, the incident serves as a cautionary tale about the ramifications of attempting to gain online fame through dubious means.
