An imposter Facebook account is posting “loan offers” in the name of Margaret Kenyatta, the wife of Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta.
The account is called “Hon Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta”. It uses a photo of the first lady as its profile picture. It has posted several fake loan offers on public Facebook group pages, as seen here, here, and here.
A typical post, dated 10 May 2022, reads in a mixture of Kiswahili and English: “Good morning Kama uko online na hukupokea offer yangu from INUA JAMII LOANS PROGRAM comment KAUNTI(COUNTY) yako kisha uangalie inbox yako immediately.”
This translates as: “Good morning. If you didn’t receive my offer from INUA JAMII LOANS PROGRAM leave a comment stating your COUNTY then check your inbox immediately.”
Africa Check has previously debunked scams that used Margaret Kenyatta’s name. This is just another one.
Unverified account
A public figure with the stature of a first lady is often verified on Facebook. Margaret Kenyatta’s official Facebook page is verified, as shown by the blue tick verification badge. But the Facebook account offering Inua Jamii loans is not verified.
Kenyatta’s verified Facebook page makes no mention of loans. It only features the first lady’s official engagements.
The Inua Jamii initiative is not run by the office of the president, or that of the first lady. Inua Jamii has previously distanced itself from scam loan offers.
The Facebook page “Hon Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta” is an imposter account running a scam. To protect yourself against online scams, read our handy guide.
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