The Facebook account is an imposter.
A Facebook account said to belong to the immediate former Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and offering loans is FAKE.
One of the posts reads: “Hello my fellow Kenyans kama uko online saii na unapenda kazi nzuri tulifanyia wakenya sema yes mum kisha angali inbox niko na Ksh65,000 sai Kwa watu kumi.”
This is loosely translated as: “Hello my fellow Kenyans if you are online right now and like what we did for Kenyans say yes mum then check your inbox I have KSh65,000 for 10 people (sic).”
The post includes images KSh1,000-note bundles, Margaret Kenyatta, the logo of an Inua Jamii Sacco, screenshots of an M-Pesa (mobile money) transaction and messages of people confirming they have received the money.
The account also has similar posts of the former First Lady offering loans of different amounts. Posts such as the one below are also accompanied by images of wads of cash as well as “proof” of people who have seemingly received the money.
The above account is one of several running similar loan programmes. After Facebook users respond to the posts, the account administrator asks them to get in touch via their inbox.
But is the former First Lady really offering any loans? We checked.
While the account uses the pictures of Kenyatta as its profile photo and cover image, most of the other photos are screenshots of people who have allegedly received the loan offers.
Suspiciously, the account uses a photo of an Inua Jamii Sacco logo in one post and a photo of the logo of the Inua Jamii National Safety Net Programme in another post. The latter is a Ministry of Labour & Social Protection, State Department for Social Protection programme.
In a previous report debunked by PesaCheck, Inua Jamii cautioned the public against imposter pages offering loans in its name. The programme does not offer loans and instead supports older persons, persons with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children through cash transfers.
Further, the former First Lady’s activities are posted on the official verified Facebook page which transitioned to posting the activities of the current First Lady, Rachel Ruto.
While the account we are fact-checking shows that the first post was in August 2022, the Facebook transparency feature indicates that the official page was created in July 2013.
A review of the official page shows that it has no posts offering loans or money to users.
PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook account claiming to belong to the immediate former Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, and offering loans, and found it to be FAKE.
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 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 Harriet Ogayo and edited by PesaCheck Senior Copy Editor Cédrick Irakoze and acting Chief Copy Editor Francis Mwaniki.
The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck Managing Editor Doreen Wainainah.
