IN SHORT: A viral Facebook ad claims Kippra is hiring hundreds of field operatives and interns, with applicants being asked to pay KSh300 via M-Pesa to a third party. This is false – Kippra disowned the ad and warned the public not to fall for such scams.
A job advertisement circulating on Facebook claims that the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra) is recruiting for various positions, including ward-based field operatives and graduate trainees or interns.
It announces “1,990 JOB/PAID INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES”, stating that each of Kenya’s 1,450 wards will receive one field operative earning KSh20,000 (about US$150) per month. Each sub-county will also host two interns, who will be paid KSh30,000 ($180) per month. All positions are offered on 12-month contracts.
Kippra is a public institute established in 1997 with a primary mandate to provide policy advice to the Kenyan government and other stakeholders.
The advert instructs applicants to apply via a shortened link. When we followed it, we were asked to pay a processing fee of KSh300 to a third-party firm called Russdan Consultants via a specified M-Pesa till number.
An M-Pesa till number is a unique identifier assigned to a business account by the mobile money service. It allows customers to pay merchants directly from their phones.
Prospective applicants for Kippra jobs are advised to enter the transaction code before submitting their online application form. The page also provides further details, including the required qualifications.
Kenya has 47 counties, which are further divided into sub-counties and 1,450 wards.
The job ad taps into a challenging job market. According to the 2025 economic survey, Kenya created 782,300 new jobs in 2024; however, 90% of these jobs were in the informal sector, such as small-scale self-employment. Such jobs are often unstable and lack job security.
Formal job opportunities, particularly for young people, remain scarce. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the highest long-term unemployment rate continues to be among young people aged 20 to 24, at 9.9%. In this context, formal jobs with Kippra would be appealing.
This job ad was also posted here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is ad legitimate? We checked.
Ignore fake job ad
First, the fact that the qualifications are only visible via a shortened link is a common tactic used in scam job advertisements. The main post circulating on social media lacks important information such as detailed job descriptions and clear responsibilities.
Furthermore, the involvement of a third-party recruitment firm that demands an application fee raises serious concerns. Kenyan public institutions, including Kippra, do not require payments for job applications or internships.
Kippra subsequently disowned the ad. In a formal alert posted on their official Facebook page, the institute warned: “PUBLIC ALERT: FAKE KIPPRA ADVERTISEMENT. We wish to alert the public that a fraudulent advertisement circulating on social media and other platforms claiming to be from KIPPRA is FAKE.
“All official communication is posted only on our official website [www.kippra.or.ke] and verified social media channels. Please DO NOT respond to suspicious messages or share your personal information. If in doubt, contact us directly through our official channels.”
To avoid falling victim to such scams, see Africa Check’s guide on how to spot job scams.
The fake job ad also appears here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
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Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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