Reports Leo Odera Omolo in Rongo Town.

TRADERS in various parts of greater South Nyanza have reported that large quantities of fake Kenya currency notes are in circulations.

The fake currency notes bearing 1,000 as denomination have been appearing in towns like Rongo, Awendo, Migori and Oyugis. Unsuspecting traders have been duped with these fake currencies.

The thugs minting the fake currency are said to be targeting mostly those operating MPESA outlets, bar and restaurants, retails and wholesale shops and even bus and matatus conductors.

On Tuesday this week, this writer watched in disbelief when a well dressed young man walked into Zamil MPESA shop in Rongo town. The man produced a brand new Kshs 1,000 note and wanted it deposited in his MPESA account. But all this time the man was unaware that the girls working in the shop were equipped with the currency detecting machine. When the currency note, which looked genuine with all its future including the security line water marks, was put into the machine it was out rightly rejected by the machine, and then when told that the note was fake the man walked out of the shop hurriedly and disappeared in the crowd at the market place.

The Rongo incident is not an isolated one. Bar owners and busy wholesale and retailing shops as well as kiosk owners have suffered the same fate.

MPESA shops have been warned to be on the alert and ensure that any brand new currency note of Kshs 1,000 is thoroughly scrutinized before being put into transactions. The culprits are also said to be visiting small shop keepers in isolated market places and fuel stations in the company of some unscrupulous motorists who pays racketeers genuine currency notes in return to fake money for filling the tanks of their vehicles.

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