Mulot Central's soiled image as home of mobile money scammers

The mention of Mulot sends shivers down the spines of Bomet residents given the area's notoriety for mobile money fraud.

Mulot Central is a small and silent trading centre located along the highway and at the border of Narok and Bomet counties. It is infamous for young individuals defrauding people of their money. They call unsuspecting individuals. Residents call them ‘swappers’.

On a normal day, business booms at the trading centre. Everyone is busy going about his daily activities, but deep inside some locations or rooms are shrewd youngsters who have mastered the art of swindling Kenyans. They masquerade as customer care agents working for mobile service providers.

Some of the criminals have been in the con game for more than 10 years and have since expanded their ‘operations’ by recruiting more members to act as agents.

The syndicate, which has even baffled security officers and service providers, targets gullible customers, allegedly with the aid of some Safaricom employees. They use soft language, their voices so gentle they wouldn't harm a fly. The security authorities have tried in vain to end their illegal activities.

The con artists are said to be in their 20s and 30s. Most of them have completed their studies, are technology-savvy and have a good command of English and Kiswahili.

And, to avoid suspicions, they use Toyota Probox cars, which are common in the region.

Those aware of their operations say when they make a killing, they gather at social joints where they toast and drink.

“They know they can be arrested anytime so they do not spend their money here. They cross over to the neighbouring towns of Narok, Bomet, Sotik and even Kericho where they celebrate by drinking,” said a source who did not want to be named.

“I know some of them personally and I always meet them in Bomet and Kericho enjoying booze. This is the time you will know they have made a killing.”

In October 2019, seven of them were arrested with more than 200 SIM cards and several phones. The suspects, some of them women, were aged between 21 and 24.

And in March this year, more than 2,000 SIM cards, 15 mobile phones and a register with names of victims were seized from five suspects aged between 22 and 23. All of them were traced to Mulot.

Many people have fallen prey to this syndicate, with some victims saying they have been coned out of millions of shillings in multiple incidents.

“When you are here you have to be extra careful how you carry out your financial transactions; otherwise, you will end up counting losses each day… We have been here and are now aware of their swindling schemes,” said Anthony Langat, an M-Pesa operator at the trading centre.

Langat advises those intending to start businesses there to avoid giving out their details to anyone, noting the fraudsters have mapped out the whole area and easily detect the presence of visitors.

The arrest of two college students suspected to be part of the ring two months ago by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has continued to cause fear among traders and residents who believe the syndicate might be operating a large network across the country.

Enock Kiprono and Ezra Kipkorir Rono are students at the Cooperative University of Kenya. Both are said to be from Mulot, something that has unsettled residents more.

Contacted for comment over the issue, Bomet county police commander Naomi Ichami told the Star no more M-Pesa fraud cases have been reported in the county.

Ichami said since they cracked down on the illegal activity a year ago, the criminals fled to other parts of the country, with most of them running to Nairobi.

“We no longer have such cases in Bomet, if there are, then they have not been reported…the last time we had it was three years ago,” she said.

The police boss further dismissed the claim that Mulot is home to such fraudsters, saying, “Those crimes are not committed here in our county but elsewhere, so they cannot be said to be from Bomet.”