Kenyans, Beware of Fake Facebook Page 'Quick Loan' Offering Non-Existent Loans

22 August 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Kenyans, beware of fake Facebook page 'Quick loan' offering non-existent loans

IN SHORT: Kenya's government programme Inua Jamii provides cash grants to poor and vulnerable people, not loans. Do not fall for this Facebook page pretending to offer loans on its behalf.

"EVENING !!️PROMOTION. Andika neno La KINGEREZA linaloanza na HERUFI (K) upokee KSH:65,000 sasa hivi (USIPITWE). WATU :93 PEKEE," reads a message posted on Facebook.

This translates from Kiswahili as: "Evening promotion. Write an English word that starts with the letter K and receive KSh65,000 now. Do not be left behind. I need 93 people only."

This is one of several adverts posted by the Facebook page Quick loan, created on 18 July 2024. The page uses the photo of former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta in its adverts and as its cover photo.

The page also offers users what it calls "Inua Jamii soft loans". Inua Jamii is a Kenyan government programme that provides cash grants to poor and vulnerable people. It's a Kiswahili phrase that means "uplift the community".

The page has reposted such adverts hundreds of times in several Facebook groups with thousands of members.

Several Facebook users have flooded the comments section of the posts, either taking part in the so-called promotions or asking how they can access the loans.

But is the page and its offers to be trusted? We checked.

Fake Facebook page

Africa Check noted that while the page uses Kenyatta's photo to advertise its offers, his genuine Facebook page - Office of the 4th President of the Republic of Kenya - has no such ads. This is a red flag.

The site's purported business is not branded. It lacks key elements such as a logo and colours that would normally identify a legitimate business.

It is not linked to any website and its ads are repeated and poorly punctuated. This also suggests that it is not a trustworthy company.

Although it claims to offer Inua Jamii loans, the programme does not issue loans. It provides cash grants to poor and vulnerable people, and no loan offers are posted on its official Facebook page.

All signs point to fake loan offers from a fake page that should be ignored.

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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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