American Actor Skai Jackson Under Fire After Claiming Kenyans Can’t Afford Mirrors

American actor Skai Jackson is facing backlash from Kenyans after a viral video in which she claimed that mirrors are so expensive in Kenya that “a lot of people don’t know what they look like.”

In the now widely circulated clip, Jackson stated, “When I went to Kenya, I realised that mirrors are very expensive, so a lot of people don’t know what they look like. But they aren’t insecure about themselves. A lot of the children had never seen their own reflections, so when they saw themselves on my phone, they were very excited and happy.”

The remarks have sparked outrage across Kenyan social media, with public figures, journalists, and ordinary citizens condemning the statements as ignorant, misleading, and harmful. TV personality Amina Abdi did not hold back in her response, “It’s 2026. As a well-exposed and traveled actress, you mean to tell me you think as a country we don’t have mirrors? Why would you come for poverty tourism… and then paint it out to be the whole population lives like this? That is quite unfortunate. Are you dizzy? We live in mansions. We have some of the most beautiful houses and destinations.”

Journalist Fathiya Nur also slammed the actor, saying, “Miss Skai Jackson, that is a total lie… It just surprises me that in 2026, people can be making such misleading comments, spreading such misinformation. This shows a lack of knowledge, lack of education and not because of lack of resources. This mentality that Africa is a poverty-ridden continent? Please let’s stop that. It’s 2026.”

A general theme in the backlash is the accusation that Jackson engaged in “poverty tourism” visiting only the most impoverished areas and then generalising that experience to represent the entire country.