An online campaign that earned the admiration of many Kenyans for facilitating cash transfers to hundreds of Kenyan households during the challenging Covid-19 period has been hit by fraudsters.
The initiative's founder, Jerotich Seii revealed on Sunday, May 10, that total contributions had surpassed the Ksh3,000,000 mark with over 1,400 families benefiting.
She, however, also disclosed that 11 individuals who benefited from the program dubbed 'Humanity Kenya' had gone on to masquerade as brokers, offering to 'register' families to benefit from the direct cash transfers.
The activist disclosed that 119 families might have paid between Ksh200 and Ksh1,000 to the eleven individuals, revealing that she had their details and planned on reporting them to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
"I have blocked more than 490 Twitter accounts and blacklisted 67 mobile numbers. Message to the 11: I know who you are and have all your details. I will go to the DCI and the National Police Service (NPS)
"You will not steal money intended for Kenyans from other Kenyans. Anyone who's been scammed should contact me," she wrote.
The initiative involves Kenyans in need making requests, after which they are vetted and cash transferred to their mobile money accounts, with recipients getting either Ksh2,000 or Ksh4,000.
While it began on Twitter, a plan to migrate the entire process to an online platform is in its final stages, with Jerotich noting that it was the next step she had prioritised.
She explained that the move would help broaden the program's scope, as the current set-up where requests are made via Twitter direct messages locks out many.
A majority of those who have benefited from the program so far, 80%, are from Nairobi, with those from cities and towns including Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Murang'a, Nyeri, Mombasa, Kilifi and Laikipia making up 20%.
Seii provides daily reports and detailed accounting of the distributions, including transaction fees, on her online platforms.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have also been referring potential beneficiaries of the program to Jerotich, with the percentage of beneficiaries referred by NGOs standing at 14.2%.
Five individuals trusted by Jerotich referred 120 people or 8.5% of the total beneficiaries, with a vast majority of the beneficiaries, 1,084 or 77.2%, having submitted direct applications.
Jerotich, who has been a staunch critic of the Jubilee administration and the political class in general, maintained that the eleven individuals who tried to defraud people were merely the products of a broken system.
"What they are doing is wrong. They are petty thieves. Products of a broken system. Easier to pick on them. The real criminals are at large. Laughing in our faces. Everyday," she wrote.
