Tag Archive for: Social Media

Fact-check: No, the Government of South Sudan is not giving free loans

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A viral social media post claiming that the government of South Sudan is giving its people free loans is a scam.

Writer: Jibi Moses 

A post making viral appearances on social media, mainly Facebook and WhatsApp, claiming that the government of South Sudan is giving its people free loans is false.

A Facebook page, PlusAtlas FTW, first shared the post on the 7th of March, 2023, with a caption, “Did you know you could be favoured with a government loan for your business or home? See options here…”

The post, which is a sponsored Facebook ad, has attracted over 180 reactions, 40 comments and four shares. It had mixed reactions from the public as some people doubted its authenticity while others showed interest in how to access these government loans. 

A screenshot of the post from the Facebook page.

Investigation:

Due to the suspicion raised from the post and the comments given by most people, 211 Check had to make a thorough investigation into it.

However, clicking the links provided on the post will direct one to a page with a small heading reading Related searches. Money, Government credits to start a business, Grants for small businesses, money Help and Loans for small companies.

The above websites are all unrelated and have different content, much as they appear genuine and for well-established companies, for example, Brookfield and Standard Chartered Bank Vuka. 

They claim to offer services ranging from banking, housing and other investments. Yet, these entities are neither established in South Sudan nor working in conjunction with the government of South Sudan in any way.

A Google search for free government loans in South Sudan returns no results. And finally, they are not giving out free loans either in the other parts of the world or in South Sudan.

The Bank of South Sudan, the central bank that regulates financial entities in the country, has no information about the said loan.

Screenshot of the whois analysis of Vuka.co.ke

One of the companies that you will be directed to when you click on the money tab. Vuka is a Kenyan company.

Conclusion:

The claim that the government of South Sudan is giving its people free loans, as made in a viral post on social media, is false. 

211 Check finds that the links provided on the post direct users to unrelated websites with different content, and a Google search for free government loans in South Sudan yielded no results. The central bank of South Sudan, which regulates financial entities in the country, has no information about such a loan.

Fight misinformation in mainstream and alternative media by not being a victim of fake news. Refrain from sharing content you are unsure about or don’t know where it comes from to prevent spreading false information. For more information on our fact-checking process, visit https://211check.org/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim. Our team will fact-check it and respond promptly. #FactsMatter

FALSE: This photo used to show construction of Likoni bypass is not from Kenya

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The photo is of the Interstate Highway in the United States.

Writer: PesaCheck

A photo shared on Facebook with text praising former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for the construction of the Likoni bypass in Mombasa is FALSE.

The photo, which was shared on 18 November 2022, is accompanied by the write-up implying that the road was one of the projects implemented by the former president’s administration.

“UHURU amefanya kazi kweli,hongera sana uhuru Wale ambao hamjapitia likoni bypass ndio hiyo sasa. (UHURU has really worked, congratulations Uhuru. For those of you who haven’t used Likoni bypass, this is it now),” the text reads.

But does the photo show the Likoni bypass? We checked and a reverse image search established that the image is of the Interstate Highway in the United States of America (USA).

The photo has been used by publications from as early as 2002. An article by boston.com credited the photo to the Associated Press (AP).

We did a keyword search on Google for the Likoni bypass and found out that it is part of the larger Dongo Kundu bypass, premised on decongesting the Likoni ferry channel.

The Dongo Kundu bypass is a three-phase project started in March 2020 while Kenyatta was president. Its projected completion date is March 2024.

PesaCheck has examined a photo shared on Facebook with text praising former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for the construction of the Likoni bypass and finds it to be FALSE.

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.