Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo.
It is arguably correct to say that the MPESA money transactions in this county has revolutionized and increased the quickest way of transacting businesses, especially in rural area, market places shopping and trading centers where there are no established commercial banks in operations.
The same could be said of urban centers, small town and even in big towns and cities. This business revolution, however, has brought the big risk along with. A day hardly passed smoothly without an incident of attacks involving robberies at these outlets where the ordinary Wananchi have been accessing money transacting their businesses with a lot of easiness.
These well coordinate attacks hatched by criminals elements have resulted in serious bodily injuries and loss of precious lives of the innocent Kenyans due to the current widespread insecurity being experienced all over the places..
It is therefore my contention that the licensing authorities tasked with the responsibility of regulating the MPESA operations in this country should introduce the stringent rule and regulation that would compel these, money outlet to operate within the normal working hours along with other commercial banks.
By this I meant, the should only be allowed to open for business at about 9 AM and close at 5.PM and not to extend working hours up to 8.M in the darkness. And strictly only those operating inside supermarkets shopping malls wand business hours.
However, it has been noted that in market places located in rural area, shopping and trading center MPESA outlet have become the easiest targets for people with heinous criminal intention, especially those who have been driven out of major town cities the hawk-eyed
Kenyan policemen.
Many suspicious characters have been sighted milling around and mingling with customers with members of the public outside MPESA outlets while making surveillance at the same time hatching secret plans for attacking the agents. And thereby depriving them f their daily earnings.
Even some of the criminal elements are known to have followed those who withdrew reasonable size of money at the outlets into their rural homes by the nightfall. The purpose of those night raids are obvious; To deprived the traders of their hard earned monies.
These night raids against MPESA agents and traders have resulted in the loss of lives. The loses could be avoided if the MPESA regulating authorities and the Safaricom and other phone service providing firms could work out a joint strategy and agreed on a working formula in which the time for business transactions at these money outlets could be regulated and strictly allowed to operate only within the official working hours, and not late in the evenings.
According to media reports from many parts of Kenya, the MPESA operators and agents are prone to attacks as they are targeted by the hardcore criminal elements using sophisticated weapons.. In Nyanza Province, Migori town is leading n the incidents of attacks at the MPESA outlets, perhaps this is due to the town’s proximity to the common borders between Kenya and Tanzania.
Othre towns ad small trading centers which are prone to such attacks include Awendo, Rongo, odi-Kopany, Homa-Bay, Oyugis, Siaya, Ugunja, Bondo, Yala, Ahero, Muhoroni, Ranen, Kendu-Bay, Sondu, Ahero..
Homa-Bay comes second after Migori in the increased crimes-wave, which has also seen many night watchmen deployed to guard the shops in the main street have reportedly been hacked t0 death by criminal gangs.
Similar incident have been reported from many towns in the Coast Province, Nyanza, Nakuru, and western Province. The statistics of the attacks are increasing by daily, and this is why there is urgent need to have the business hours of the MPESA operators.
These planned and well executed attack are putting nation’s economy into total ruin, and the time for such attacks to be put to an abrupt end..
End
No way Bwana. Which world are you living in? Suppose somebody is stranded some where very far from home lets say at midnight, or somebody has fallen sick at night or your car has brocken down when on a safari at night or your dear child has fallen sick at midnight, Do you suggest that somebody should not get immediate help from a relative or a friend through MPESA simply because it is outside working hours? It seems you dont even have a family or a car hence you dont know what an emergency is! Lemmi give you a small piece of caution, just store your huge money in your bank account lets say STANCHART and have something small in your phone for an emergency and Leave Kenyans alone to enjoy this fantastic services of MPESA! Kindly note that MPESA has saved very many lives because emergency does not know working hours. Be informed. Good day/night.
Shadrack Otieno; At first I thought that your somehow provocative comment would drew more attention of many reader to give their broad views about someone lie yo who seemed to value a motor vehicles than the precious lives of those Kenyan who are loosing their precious lives daily at the MPESA outlets in marketplaces towns,trading centers and elsewhere.The statistic is showing how seriousness these incidents have become a real menace and needed to be addressed, but not casually by someone like you who is obsessed of his car and easy lifestyle.However, I discovered that you are just a simple misguided lone ranger who is mischievously wanted to see his nme in the print for the sake of it.Please try to go by the statistic of newspaper reports showing daily attacks on these facilities.And even the operators lie their customers have been attacked and killed.Nobody is questioning the important services being rendered by MPESA, But thee should be new device whereby the time of oprations could be regulated and let them operate during working hours and not late into the night giving leeway to criminal minded elements Bwana.