Fact-checkers have previously flagged the Facebook page making the claim for promoting scams.
Syndicated story by PesaCheck
A Facebook post claiming that the former governor of Nairobi, Mike Sonko, is giving out loans is a HOAX.
The post, titled ‘Back to School Edition’, promises loans to parents who cannot afford school fees for their children and aspiring entrepreneurs with no capital to start their business.
Sonko Loans Foundation, it adds, is giving out loans ranging from Ksh 10,000 to Ksh 3 million. Prospective borrowers must send the word “loan” to a provided WhatsApp number to receive their disbursement immediately. The post also adds that the loan will accrue no interest.
The post is accompanied by a collage of images. The image on the top is a close-up shot of Sonko, while the other three show distribution exercises by the Sonko Rescue Team, a philanthropic initiative affiliated with the former governor.
However, there is no information about loans on Sonko’s Facebook or Twitter timelines, where he routinely posts information about his charity outreach programmes.
The Facebook page on which the claim has been shared has had its posts flagged by fact-checkers, including PesaCheck for promoting scams.
Sonko has previously warned members of the public against falling for scams disguised as free loans.
PesaCheck has looked into the claim that the former governor of Nairobi, Mike Sonko, is giving out loans, and finds it to be a HOAX.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.
Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
This fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Simon Muli and edited by PesaCheck chief copy editor Rose Lukalo. The article was approved for publication by managing editor Enock Nyariki.
PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water/sanitation. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit pesacheck.org.
PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organisations.
