UNICEF Kenya has denounced the promotion.

PesaCheck

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PesaCheck

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4 min read

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Nov 2

This Facebook post from an account purporting to have received cash from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Foundation is a HOAX.

The post, mostly in Swahili, loosely translates to: “I didn’t think this UNICEF foundation promotion was legitimate. I’m very happy to have received mine today, I’m grateful. I’m also informing my friends to enjoy it too. INBOX ME OR Text this number on WhatsApp (0712266650) starting with the word PROMOTION then follow the instructions given. Thank me later.”

It is accompanied by a screenshot of a text message purportedly from the mobile money service, M-PESA, showing that the user has received KSh85,000 from the UNICEF Foundation.

Similar posts have also been shared here and here.

A review of the account shows similar posts claiming to have received the same amount. Curiously, the funds all seem to have been received at 7:17 a.m. on 22 September 2023.

The posts, using an unofficial communication channel (WhatsApp), are poorly written and are likely online scams, as previously debunked by PesaCheck.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is tasked with safeguarding the rights of children and women in developing countries like Kenya.

Reviewing the official UNICEF Kenya website reveals its support for causes, including education, child protection, emergencies, health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene. However, there is no indication of the promotion we are debunking.

Likewise, there is no mention of a ‘UNICEF Foundation’ cash promotion on the agency’s Kenya’s Facebook page and X (formerly Twitter) account, where they typically share updates.

PesaCheck also reached out to Dan Oloo, a communication specialist at UNICEF Kenya, who denounced the promotion.

“All announcements, advertisements and other official communication is done only via verified UNICEF digital channels as below: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/UNICEFKenya/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/UNICEFKenya), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/unicef_kenya/) and web: (http://www.unicef.org/kenya),” wrote Oloo in response to our query.

Oloo also cautioned against posts from unverified UNICEF Kenya accounts.

PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post from an account purporting to have received cash from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) foundation and found it to be a HOAX.

This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.

By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.

Have you spotted what you think is fake or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.

This fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Harriet Ogayo and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Cédrick Irakoze.

The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor Doreen Wainainah.

PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit pesacheck.org.

PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organisations.