IN SHORT: Kenyans working in the informal sector would be happy to have access to quick loans from the government to finance their businesses. But they should be wary of scammers who pose as government agencies in order to defraud them.
The Facebook account Uwezo Fund KE promises Kenyans in the informal sector loans of up to KSh300,000 (about US$2,100) to finance their businesses.
The account uses the name of the Uwezo Fund, a Kenyan government initiative that provides access to business finance for women, young people and people with disabilities.
A typical post on the account, dated 11 March 2024, reads, in part: “GOOD MORNING, ARE YOU MAMA MBOGA, BODA BODA OR SMALL SCALE FARMING AND BUSSINESS? DO YOU NEED FINANCIAL SUPPORT?, YES UWEZO FUND LOAN ENABLES YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS PAY BILL AND START A BUSINESS.”
“Mama mboga” refers to small-scale vegetable vendors. Boda bodas are motorbike taxis common in East Africa.
The account asks those interested to apply via a WhatsApp number and promises “quick, instant approvals”.
The adverts have been published here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But is the account and its offers to be trusted? We checked.
Imposter account
Government institutions usually link their social media accounts to working websites. This allows the public to access information about the nature of their activities. This page is not linked to a website, which is a red flag.
These institutions also invest in a professional social media management team that ensures their public statements are error-free. It is suspicious that the account’s adverts are poorly written, with random capitalisation, misspellings, repetitions and odd punctuation.
We noted that some of its posts claimed that the account could increase users’ credit limits at various financial institutions. This is false, as this responsibility lies solely with individual financial institutions.
Africa Check visited Uwezo Fund’s website and found a link to its Facebook page. It has more than 85,000 followers. Its “transparency section” shows that it was created on 14 August 2013.
The phone number in the suspicious account is not listed on Uwezo Fund’s website or official Facebook page.
The account in question is fake and its offers are scam.
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