• Tennessee governor Bill Lee announced the appointment of Mainda through a press statement on September 5.
• Governor Lee’s statement announcing the appointment lauds Mainda as an outstanding career as a community leader in Chattanooga, citing his work on the boards of a number of organizations
A Facebook post claiming that Hodgen Mainda, a Kenyan, has been appointed as a commissioner in the Tennessee state cabinet is TRUE.
The post adds that he is the first Kenyan to hold such a position.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee announced the appointment of Mainda through a press statement on September 5, and this was also reported on the governor’s and the State Department of Commerce and Insurance Twitter accounts.
Today I appointed Hodgen Mainda to serve as the next commissioner of @TNCommerceInsur. Hodgen has been a true leader in Chattanooga and brings with him extensive experience that will serve his department and the State of Tennessee well. I’m excited to have Hodgen join our team!
— Governor Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) September 5, 2019
Mainda has been appointed to serve in the Tennessee State cabinet as a commissioner in the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and will officially assume his new role on October 1.
Governor Lee’s statement announcing the appointment lauds Mainda as an outstanding career as a community leader in Chattanooga, citing his work on the boards of a number of organizations, including the Downtown Chattanooga Rotary Club, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor’s Roundtable and the College of Business Advisory Board.
Mainda moved to the US in 1997 to study at the Middle Tennessee State University. He currently resides in Chattanooga with his wife and children.
PesaCheck has looked into the claim that 42 year old Kenyan Hodgen Mainda has been appointed as a commissioner in the Tennessee state cabinet and finds it to be TRUE.
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.
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This fact-check was written by PesaCheck Researcher James Okong’o, was edited by PesaCheck Deputy Editor Ann Ngengere and was approved for publication by PesaCheck Managing Editor Eric Mugendi.