Failure To Reverse Cash Sent To Your M-Pesa By Mistake Will Cost You Ksh 200,000

Have you ever received cash on M-Pesa from someone who sent it to your number wrongly? Have you ever withdrawn cash that does not belong to you?

How many times have you reversed M-Pesa cash sent to you by mistake? Would you reverse cash sent to you by mistake?

Did you know that failure to reverse that M-Pesa cash sent to you wrongly from someone will have you go to jail for two years?

Did you know that withdrawing cash sent to you via M-Pesa by mistake will see you parting with 200,000 shillings as fine?

Did you know that you can pay both 200,000 shillings and at the same time go to jail for two years for failing to reverse cash that does not belong to you?

According to the Computers and Cybercrimes Act of 2018, Section 36, “a person who unlawfully destroys or aborts any electronic email or processes through which money or information is being conveyed commits and offense.”

Before M-Pesa began the process of enabling senders who send money via M-Pesa to a wrong number to reverse it, most Kenyans counted losses as formed a habit of withdrawing that which didn’t belong to them.

Although one can reverse cash sent to a wrong number, some realize too late when the receiver has already withdrawn. With the new law in place, withdrawing cash from a wrong number will now earn someone a place in prison.

According to Section 34 of the Computers and Cyber Crimes Act of 2018, “persons who hide or hold electronic messages, electronic payments, debit card details sent in error commit an offense.”

In 2018, Margaret Njeri was accused of withdrawing 27,140 shillings that had been sent to her M-Pesa by mistake. The sender begged her to refund the cash but she refused. She went ahead to withdraw the cash and used it. She was charged in an Embu Court for theft and jailed for six months.

All M-Pesa customers are registered by use of their National ID numbers making it easy to identify them whenever a crime of such nature is committed. It is also easy to flag down mobile numbers engaging in such a crime in Kenya.

Have you received cash from a wrong number? Think.