Kenyan politician Anab Gure offering free cash, motorbikes? No, imposter Facebook account is a scam

The Facebook account Cas Anab Gure Sabwow claims to be giving free money to Kenyans from the governing United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.

The only requirement for one to get approved is to first pay a “tax”.

A 21 June 2023 post reads: “… I was able to secure 20 UDA funds, i can't thank Allah enough its not easy to get these chances but prayer amd love of my people makes it simple. Now those in my inbox or send me your full name phone number ID number and location to my WhatsApp 0726824656 nikuelekeze.asking me to give them a chance take one apply. Remember these are non refundable funds sio loan hautarudisha baadaye so unalipa tax kwanza nakuapprove unawekewa example unataka 100,000 unalipa tax sh 6987 na wewe 100k ni yako forever hautarudisha baadaye. Apply.”

This loosely translates to: “…I was able to secure 20 UDA funds, I can’t thank Allah enough its not easy to get these chances but prayer and love of my people makes it simple. Now those in my inbox or send me your full name phone number ID number and location to my WhatsApp 0726824656 I direct you.asking me to give them a chance take one apply. Remember these are non-refundable funds not loans you won’t have to return them later so you pay tax first then I approve and you are given example if you want 100,000 you pay tax sh6987 and 100k is yours to keep forever. Apply.”

On 21 February 2023, Anab Gure was nominated as the Chief Administrative Secretary (Cas) in the Ministry of Education.

Between 2017 and 2022, Gure served in the national assembly as the woman representative for Garissa county, which is over 300 kilometres from the capital Nairobi.

On 19 June 2023, the same account published another post announcing that the chief secretary was “able to secure 20 bikes” for Kenyans.

The posts have since been deleted.

Africa Check has in the past debunked Facebook accounts and pages promising non-existent loans and motorbikes using politicians’ names.

Is this yet another Facebook account out to scam Kenyans? We checked.

Gure is not offering loans and motorbikes

It is unlikely that Gure has two Facebook accounts and uses one exclusively for freebies. Communicating privately by calling or messaging the phone numbers listed on the account puts you at risk of being scammed.

Gure’s official page is Hon Anab Subow Gure and has 86,000 followers. It was created on 11 June 2018 and has a blue verification badge. 

The page publishes posts about her whereabouts and daily activities and makes no mention of cash offers or motorbikes.

On 17 June 2023, Gure dismissed the account as fake.

“I wanted to bring to your attention that there are fake accounts present on social media especially on Facebook, pretending to be me. Please be cautious and vigilant while interacting online. To distinguish the real account from the fake ones, I want to emphasize that my official Facebook page bears blue verification ticks (blue checkmarks),” she wrote.

“This indicates the authenticity of my account. If you come across any other accounts claiming to be me without those verification ticks, they are not genuine. It's important to refrain from accepting friend requests, engaging in conversations, or sharing personal information with these impersonators. Friends, please report any suspicious accounts to Facebook. If you were conned please report to the authorities,” Gure added.