Alleged TikTok of Mermaid in Kenya goes viral, triggers online debate

A mermaid-like creature was spotted on a beach in Ukunda, Kenya (Image via Daily Trends/YouTube)

Five days ago, TikTok user Mary Musyoka posted a video with the caption: "A real mermaid spotted in Ukunda," which is a coastal town in Kenya.

It went viral in record time, sparking online debates about the authenticity of the clip and whether the creature shown is really a mermaid or yet another hoax. Officials from both Kenya and South Africa have claimed the report to be false.

The video shows a crowd of beach-goers surrounding the mystical creature that had washed ashore on the beach. It appears to be a large fish at first glance, but as the camera tracks upwards, the torso of a human girl with her eyes closed and arms sprawled out is revealed.

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Footage of alleged mermaid spotted in Kenya goes viral on TikTok

An extended version of the footage was uploaded to YouTube on April 7, garnering 535.8k views, but this one claimed Muizenberg, South Africa, as the location of the discovery. The crowd can be seen poking and prodding at the bottom half of the creature as it groans softly in distress.

Musyoka's TikTok has clocked 6.6 million views since being uploaded, with many users tagging another TikToker @skinfluencebymsk in its comments. The latter also made a video regarding this shocking discovery, providing more context about where the alleged creature was found.

She prefaced the viral footage saying,

"We need to talk about this mermaid video now. So, I have been tagged and been sent this video a lot over the last couple of days. And I don't know what to think about it. To be honest, the video frightens me. At first, I thought it was probably just a hoax, but the more I watch it... And a lot of people are saying that this footage is the most believable footage to show the existence of mermaids."

Her TikTok has garnered 10.4 million views and 868.9k likes at the time of writing. The creator mentioned that several natives of the Kenyan town had uploaded clips of the creature to various social media platforms. She also revealed that apparently the government was trying to hush this entire matter, to no one's surprise.

According to Snopes, a spokesperson from the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Muizenberg stated:

“Please note that Muizenberg SAPS has no reports of a mermaid that was washed by the beach nor reports of a child bitten by a fish.”

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Netizens question if the creature really is a mermaid

Although the footage seems compelling, there have been mixed reactions under the videos' comment section and across the internet.

YouTube user Beauty Chinengo commented what appears to be the most plausible explanation. They said,

"Looks like the child was swallowed by the fish, I see eyes of the fish next to the waist and moving, the child is struggling to breath as half of the body has been swallowed."

While some pointed out the lack of webbed fingers, gills, and the absurdity of the almost movie-like ombre color of the girl's hair, others mentioned that additional footage pointed to fish gills on the side of the young girl's neck.

Another YouTube user by the username of Jessica Livengood pointed out how the fish and the human torso didn't seem connected, writing,

"I’m amazed at how many people think this is real! You can literally see a space all around the waist area. If it was real it would be seamless."

Another user drew attention to the jilted movement of the fins,

“The way the fins are moving are at the same time, almost in rhythm. That screams puppeted, not reactionary.”

These suspicions are far from unfounded, thus leading one to believe that the creature most likely isn't a real merperson. However, one person claimed that this constant skepticism and labeling such evidence "fake" is what will ultimately prevent humans from ever recognizing the real deal.