IN SHORT: When Uhuru Kenyatta was in power in Kenya, we saw many fake Facebook pages in his wife’s name, offering loans and giveaways. Now the same is true for Rachel Ruto, wife of president William Ruto. They should be ignored.
The Facebook account Mmtaifa Recheal Chebet Cbgh claims to offer loans to Kenyans on Facebook.
The account uses the name – although wrongly spelled - of Rachel Ruto, the wife of Kenyan president William Ruto. Chebet was her surname before marriage.
“Mmtaifa” is also a misspelling of the Kiswahili word “mama taifa”, which means “first lady”. The account features photos of Ruto.
One post, dated 17 April 2023, reads: “Good morning kenyans congratulations Kwa wenye walipata loan yao over the weekend today i only need 65 members kama unahitaji kindly inbox me nikusaidie sahisi upto 700000.”
This mix of English and Kiswahili translates as: “Good morning Kenyans. Congratulations to all those who received their loans over the weekend. Today I only need 65 members to receive the loan. If you need it, kindly send me a message in my inbox I help you now with up to KSh700,000.”
In other posts, the account claims to offer Inua Jamii loans. Inua Jamii – Kiswahili for “uplift the community” – is a Kenyan government programme that gives cash grants to poor and vulnerable people.
The account has reposted the loan offers on many Facebook groups.
But is the account and its loan offers legit? We checked.
Fake Facebook account
The account’s misspelling of Ruto’s name is the first red flag. Her first name is Rachel and not “Recheal”.
Her official Facebook page, Mama Rachel Ruto, is verified and has over 980,000 followers. Besides, it does not offer loans.
It is unlikely that the first lady would operate two Facebook accounts and dedicate the unverified one to loans. The account's requests to have the users engage privately by sending a message might be an attempt to scam people.
The official Facebook page of the Inua Jamii programme has in the past clarified that it does not offer loans. It also warned people against sending any money to anyone claiming to offer loans.
The account in Rachel Ruto’s name and its loan offers are fake.
To protect yourself against scams, see our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
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