IN SHORT: This Facebook account uses the name and photos of former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta to promise Facebook users free money. But it’s a fake account and could be trying to scam you.
The Facebook account H.E UHURU MWEGAI KENYATTA GHJ promises cash giveaways to Kenyans on Facebook.
The account uses the name and photos of Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta, who left office in September 2022 after serving two terms.
“THANKS MY FELLOW KENYANS,I would like to support a few of you with small amount of money so that they can pay _RENT, FEES,BILLS and START A SMALL BUSINESS during this hard time no long procedure you only pay for the transaction fee and get your money,” a typical post on the account reads in part.
It claims that the cash giveaway will be processed “within 3-5 minutes” and sent to users.
In other posts, the account claims it is offering Inua Jamii loans. Inua Jamii is the Kenyan government programme that gives cash grants to poor and vulnerable people. It’s a Kiswahili phrase that means “uplift the community”.
The account has also posted here, here and here.
But are the offers legit? We checked.
Ignore imposter account
The account’s misspelling of the former president’s second name is the first red flag. The name is “Muigai” and not “Mwegai”.
The account’s posts are poorly written, all containing glaring grammatical errors. These are common signs of suspicious accounts.
It also claims that the loans come from Inua Jamii. But the programme does not provide loans but rather cash grants to the poor and vulnerable. This has been stated several times on the programme's official Facebook page.
The account also tells users to pay a transaction fee before the money is disbursed. This might be an attempt to scam them.
Kenyatta suspended his social media accounts in 2019. At the time, his chief of staff Nzioka Waita cited “unauthorised access” to the president’s social media accounts as the reason.
Kenyatta set up new social media accounts after the end of his presidency. His genuine Facebook page is Office of the 4th President of the Republic of Kenya and on X, previously Twitter, his account is Office of the 4th President of Kenya. Both were established in November 2022.
No free cash or loan offers are posted on these official accounts.
The account in question is fake and its offers are a scam.
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