Kenya: Exposing Three Facebook Accounts Impersonating Kenyan Governor Fatuma Achani and Offering Bogus Loans

17 July 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

IN SHORT: These three Facebook accounts would have you believe that they are run by Fatuma Achani. But don't be scammed - the governor is not offering loans on Facebook.

The Facebook accounts Hon Fatuma Achani Loans, Hon Fatumar Achanie and Hon Achanih Fatumah regularly post loan offers on Facebook.

The accounts either use the name of Fatuma Achani, the governor of Kwale county, or misspelt versions of it to advertise the offers. They have also used her photos either as profile pictures, cover photos or both.

Kenya's southeastern coastal county of Kwale is one of the country's 47 counties, each led by an elected governor.

A typical post from the accounts reads: "KWALE LOAN PROJECT Kopa mkopo kuanzia 10,000 Hadi 850,00 Both Business loan/Building loan /school fees loan Whatsapp 0113267059."

The mix of English and Kiswahili roughly translates to: "KWALE LOAN PROJECT. Get a loan from KSh10,000 to KSh850,00. Loans for business, building and school fees are available. Whatsapp 0113267059."

The offers can also be seen here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

But are they legit? We checked.

Imposter accounts

Two of the accounts have Achani's name spelt wrong, and the third has the word "loans" as part of her name. This is the first clue that these are fake accounts.

Her name is Fatuma Achani, not "Fatumar Achanie" or "Achanih Fatumah". It is also unlikely that a sitting governor would be offering loans to Kenyans on Facebook.

Africa Check also noted that the accounts' posts contained grammatical errors. Poorly written posts are often a sign that an account or page is fake.

In April 2024, Achani told Africa Check that she does not offer loans to anyone. She also said that those using her name to make such offers were fraudsters.

Achani's official Facebook page has over 18,000 followers. She posts about her daily activities and whereabouts. Her page makes no mention of loan offers and posts well-written messages.

The accounts in question are fake and should be ignored.

Report any suspicious Facebook posts by clicking on the three dots in the top right corner of the post and selecting "report post" from the drop-down menu.

The offers were also posted here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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