CLAIM: Former Governor of Nairobi posted an image depicting Jesus appearing in the sky

Over time, an ongoing discourse surrounding signs and wonders reports has sparked curiosity. One such noteworthy incident dates back to 2012, reported by Vanguard Newspaper. It details the account of a baby born with the Holy Quran, which has remained a subject of interest ever since.

Similarly, another intriguing occurrence was documented in the DailyPost newspaper, recounting the tale of a baby born with a Rosary. This adds to the collection of mysterious events that have captured public interest and raised numerous questions about their authenticity.

Among the reported incidents is a recent post shared by Mike Sonto, on X on April 7, 2024, featuring a picture purportedly showing the image of Jesus appearing in the sky, further fueling discussions and speculation about supernatural phenomena.

The image was reportedly taken at Oyuma Market in Kendu Bay, Homabay County. 

Sonko, who is the popular Kenyan politician and Former Governor of Nairobi County wrote, “Seen yesterday at Oyuma Market in Kendu Bay, Homabay County. Watu Wangu, we should all start repenting before it’s too late.”

Sonko’s caption urged people to repent, suggesting that the sighting was a sign of impending divine judgment.

The post has garnered over 742,000 views, 827 reposts, and 1,000 comments.

Other users, including @Kotsocha_ke and @oboy_jay, shared similar images on April 6 and 7, respectively, claiming sightings in different locations across Kenya.

The widespread attention prompted N-VA to investigate the authenticity of the image.

VERIFICATION

After an extensive search across various online platforms, N-VA could not locate the image of Jesus purportedly appearing in the sky on any reputable websites, raising suspicions about its authenticity. 

Additionally, the image’s absence from trustworthy sources suggested that it could have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

N-VA subjected the image to scrutiny using five AI image detectors to validate this hypothesis.

The AI image detector Hive Moderation concluded that there was a 99.5% likelihood it was AI-generated. Is it AI? gave a 95.24% likelihood, Illuminarty 95.1%, Content at Scale 94% and Hugging Face also gave a 97% possibility of the picture being AI-generated.

A collage of results from AI apps

The results from these detectors consistently indicated a high likelihood that the image was indeed AI-generated. Based on these findings, it is evident that the image circulating on social media is likely to be AI-generated rather than a genuine depiction of a divine event.

CONCLUSION

Claims suggesting the image captures an actual appearance of Jesus in the sky lack credible evidence, and findings from N-VA show it is AI-generated.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Crest 91.1FM, Ibadan, and News Verifier Africa, to enrich the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

OTHER REPORTS

LOCAL LANGUAGE

SIGN LANGUAGE

PODCAST

VISUALS