This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
On August 7, 2019, a Twitter user named Mary Wanyika made a desperate plea to Kenyans for help in raising funds for her daughter's medical treatment. She claimed that her baby had a rare condition called Spina bifida and needed Sh320,000 for myelomeningocele closure to avoid paralysis.
However, a simple search on the internet revealed that the pictures she shared were taken in 2012 in Zambia by an organisation called Cure.org. The pictures were of a 10-day-old girl born with the rare condition.
Ms Wanyika's deceit was exposed, and she has since deactivated her social media account and switched off the mobile phone number that she used to collect donations. Donors who tried to reverse their donations after the fraud was exposed were shocked to find that the amounts had been withdrawn.
Kenya was ranked eighth in the world in terms of generosity in a 2018 global survey by the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation. The survey ranked countries based on their willingness to help a stranger, donate money, and volunteer for good causes.
