A Facebook post advertising July/August 2024 Kazi Mtaani jobs is a HOAX.
“Over 18,000 Kazi mtaani jobs advertised by the national government.. Minimum of Form 4 certificate is required,” the post reads in part.
The post features a link to a Google Form asking interested parties to apply for the purported jobs.
According to the information on the form: “The 18,000 youth will be engaged in the Nationwide planting of over 60 billion trees in the coming months as directed by the president. The initiative absorbs youth for a 2-year contract that is renewable subject to the government objectives there in. The youth in Urban areas will be absorbed to the construction of Affordable Housing Units recently launched by the president and other government responsibilities and directives given.”
The purported positions are divided into two major categories: supervisors (4,000) and service officers (14,000). The deadline for applications is 9 August 2024.
Service officers must be responsible citizens with good conduct, a Form Four education (minimum C- or equivalent), and neat handwriting. Applicants must be residents of the sub-locations, aged 18 to 32, have a national ID, be fluent in Kiswahili, and be available from September 2024.
Supervisors must be aged 21 to 35, have a national ID, be fluent in the local language/dialect, and have good communication skills in English and Kiswahili. Leadership experience is an advantage. Candidates must have no criminal history, hold a diploma or degree, be able to work with little supervision and have good public relations skills.
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed between 19–21 August at constituency headquarters.
Other requirements for all candidates include a KSh300 National Social Security Fund (NSSF) facilitation fee, which will be paid at the bank or via the M-PESA details provided. The bank transaction reference number or M-PESA transaction code is required to submit the form.
Applicants are also required to provide personal details, including name, contact information, ID number, and level of education, including primary and secondary school national exam grades.
Also known as the National Hygiene Programme (NHP), the Kazi Mtaani project is a government initiative that was started in April 2020 to cushion the most vulnerable people from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was abolished in 2022 by President William Ruto. He, however, hinted at a return of the programme while on a development tour in Nakuru on 15 July 2024.
The purported advertisement does not appear on the State Department for Housing and Urban Development website or social media accounts.
To authenticate the claim, PesaCheck contacted Charles Hinga, the Principal Secretary State Department for Housing and Urban Development, and he dismissed it as “Fake”.
The National Youth Council Kenya also flagged the advert in question as fake in a Facebook post dated 1 August 2024.
The post reads in part, “Fake News Alert! It has come to our knowledge that some unscrupulous person,(s),out to con our youth of their scarce money, are circulating this poster purporting that they can recruit them into the Kazi Mtaani July/ August, 2024 intake.”
“Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy and National Youth Council Kenya wishes to confirm that this advert is FAKE, and we urge the Youth in particular, and Members of the Public in general, to disregard the advert and not fall prey it’s nefarious machinations,” the post adds.
The State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy also shared the fake news alert.
PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post advertising July/August 2024 Kazi Mtaani jobs and finds 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 Peris Gachahi and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Mary Mutisya and chief copy editor Stephen Ndegwa.
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.
Are they lying? Kenya’s 1st fact-checking initiative verifies statements by public figures. A @Code4Kenya and @IBP_Kenya initiative, supported by @Code4Africa.
HOAX: This post advertising Kazi Mtaani jobs is a shamThe National Youth Council Kenya flagged it as fake.·Published in·5 min read·Aug 13, 2024Follow UsLike UsEmail UsWhatsApp UsEnglishKenyaShort FormWritten by PesaCheck5.8K Followers·Editor for FollowMore from PesaCheck and PesaCheckHOAX: This poster purportedly advertising jobs at USAID Kenya is fraudulentThe international development agency has disowned the poster.Jul 29FAKE: This Bloomberg article claiming former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has a 40% stake in…The publication’s reporter, Jason Schreier, distanced himself from the article.Dec 12, 2023
