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Jeff Koinange goes viral for humorously calling out a fan’s fake accent, sparking a social media conversation on authenticity and "shrubbing."

Veteran journalist Jeff Koinange has lit up social media after a hilarious encounter with a TikToker, where the "Oh My!" host accused the fan of faking a polished accent to impress him.
The video, which has garnered thousands of views on TikTok, captures the quintessential Nairobi interaction: a star-struck fan trying to act cool, and a celebrity who sees right through it. The TikToker, known as @ballerioz, approached Jeff’s legendary Mercedes G-Wagon with a refined, twang-heavy greeting, only to be met with a classic Jeff rebuttal: "Ongea vizuri bana!" (Speak properly, man!).
The interaction began innocently enough. @ballerioz, dressed sharply in a suit, greeted Jeff with a crisp, "Hello Jeff, how are you doing today?" The accent was heavy, bordering on the transatlantic. Jeff, leaning out of his car window, laughed and immediately called a foul.
"You are faking it!" Jeff teased, his booming voice unmistakable. "You are from here! Why are you speaking like that?" The TikToker defended himself, claiming he was from Mombasa, but Jeff wasn’t buying it. The exchange ended in raucous laughter, showing the lighter side of one of Kenya’s most intimidating media personalities.
Beneath the laughter, the video touches on a uniquely Kenyan insecurity. In a city where your accent can determine your social standing, the pressure to "sound rich" is real. Jeff, whose own accent is a natural product of years at CNN and in the US, knows the difference between the real deal and a forgery.
By telling the fan to "ongea vizuri," Jeff was essentially saying: be yourself. In a digital age of filters and facades, it was a refreshing moment of authenticity. The TikToker might have failed to fool the master, but he succeeded in giving the country a much-needed laugh in a tense January.
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