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There has been a false post that has been making rounds on social media sites claiming the government has set aside KES 2 billion to be shared equally among Kenyans. According to a report from The Star, the post has been shared widely especially via WhatsApp suggesting that the every Kenyan aged over 20 years is entitled to a share of KES 3,300 through the alleged COVID-19 fund.
The message goes further to indicate that the money is being given out by the government sharing a link to a website for Kenyans to register if interested in claiming the “COVID-19 relief funds”.
“GOK FUNDING: The government has set aside KES2B to be distributed equally to all Kenyan citizens of the age 20 and above. The first phase of the distribution has already begun and is about to end. To get the funds sent to your mobile wallet i.e Mpesa/Tkash/Airtel Money, one has to completely and accurately follow all the steps below,” reads a post on the website.
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The link was followed up by Africa Check, an independent fact-checking organisation looking to verify the authenticity of the message. This was later found to be completely false.
Furthermore, the website seems to be asking questions that would require Kenyans to key in their personal information. This includes their mobile money details which could prove to be detrimental in the long run.
According to Africa Check, the link to the website itself outrightly makes it look malicious. This is because most of the Kenyan government portals end with .go.ke and clearly, this is not the case with the link provided for the funds as it redirects to gokchat.com.
So, you might want to avoid clicking such a link if it is sent to you and perhaps warn others about it and other similar false messages.
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