How a fake currency went viral
When a verified X account called the Government of East Africa shared a photo of a bank note for a new currency, it quickly went viral.
The posts swiftly amassed more than one million views and a popular online news outlet in Kenya reported the story, proclaiming that the long-awaited dream of a single East African currency had finally been realised.
Social media users said sheafra was ‘the best thing to have happened to East Africa this century’ and ‘long overdue’.
But their excitement was short lived – the whole thing was fake.
The ‘Government of East Africa’ is not a real government, and the sheafra – a name created by combining ‘Shilling of East Africa and franc’, which are the currencies used in the region – is a made-up currency.
The East African Community (EAC), which is a bloc of eight countries, was forced to step in, calling out the posts and confirming that the currency was a myth.
Who is Moses Haabwa and the ‘Government of East Africa’?
The man behind the currency is Moses Haabwa, a shadowy figure who told the BBC that he wanted to offer hope to people in the region.
The Ugandan, who is in his late thirties, oversees the ‘Federal Republic of East African Government’ – which is not a real government. He’s also not affiliated with any official government or political party.
But although the Federal Republic of East African Government is not an official organisation, it does have an X account with more than 15,000 followers and a grey tick.
According to the social media company, a grey tick means that the account is the official account of a government or multilateral organisation.
It’s all pretty sophisticated. The Federal Republic of East African Government even has an official coat of arms featuring a cantaloupe and a lion and the motto ‘With God, unity, development’.
And the group has been releasing different versions of the sheafra for three months.
In one post, the account proclaimed: ‘We are above EAC’. That’s the East African Community, a regional organisation that is legitimate.
According to his social media bio, Haabwa works for a private investigations company based in the US – but there’s no evidence that the company exists beyond an X account.
He also claims to work as an ambassador for a mysterious European dukedom, which the BBC reports is ‘shrouded in mystery’.
What is a grey tick on X and why did it lead to so much confusion?
A grey tick on X is supposed to show that an account belongs to a government organisation or official.
For instance, Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden’s X accounts both have a grey tick.
Anyone can apply for a grey tick by filling out a form on X. Users must submit their government ID or email address to get verified, but X doesn’t detail what its verification process actually involves.
It’s unclear how the X account for the Government of East Africa, which is not an official government organisation, got a grey tick.
There are two other tick verifications on X.
Back in the Jack Dorsey days, a blue tick used to mean that an account was verified. However, Elon Musk changed the verification system after he took over the company in October 2022.
A blue tick now means that an account is subscribed to Twitter Blue, the platform’s premium version, which costs £11 a month in the UK.
To get a blue tick, accounts need to upload a photo and a confirmed phone number to verify the identity of the account owner.
Some official business accounts have gold check mark, which means that the account is part of Twitter’s Verified Organisation (TVO) programme.
The TVO subscription costs $1,000 a month – which is around £778.
What is the East African Community?
The East African Community (EAC) is a government organisation made up of eight countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.
As of March 10, the EAC region is home to 493,499,436 people, according to data from Worldometers.
The group was first established in 1967 but collapsed a decade later. Then, in 2000, the EAC was revived with the aim of promoting trade and free movement between the member countries.
Some people hope that the EAC will eventually turn into the East African Federation – a political union like the EU with a single currency.
Are there genuine plans for East Africa to get its own currency?
In 2020, the EAC said its plans for a single currency in the region by 2024 were ‘well underway’.
However, delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic lead the EAC to push its deadline back to 2031.
The EAC Secretary-General Peter Mathuki said that the East Africa Monetary Union could be in place within the next four years.
Politicians hope that a single currency would ease trade between countries.