Kisumu Senator Prof. Tom Ojienda SC has raised concerns over the growing prevalence of mobile money fraud, digital impersonation schemes and other tech enabled financial scams affecting Kenyans across the country owing to the rapid rise in adoption of mobile money and electronic banking.
Rising pursuant to Standing Order 53(1), Senator Ojienda requested a Statement from the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on the scale of cyber enabled financial crimes and measures being taken to curb the trend.
The legislator warned that the rapid growth of mobile money and electronic banking has exposed users to increased vulnerability, noting that the surge in fraud cases poses a serious threat to consumer protection and financial security.
In his request, the Lawmaker tasked the Committee to provide data on the number of reported cases of mobile money fraud, SIM swap incidents and related scams recorded nationally from 2023 to date, as well as the financial losses incurred.
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He further called for accountability from the National Computer Coordination Committee, seeking details on measures being implemented to investigate and prosecute individuals and criminal networks involved in cyber enabled financial crimes.
“The Committee should outline mechanisms and the effectiveness of coordination between law enforcement agencies, telecommunications service providers and financial institutions in detecting, preventing and responding to incidents of mobile money fraud and related cyber threats,” he added.
Senator Ojienda also wanted the Committee chaired by Senator Fatuma Dullo (Isiolo) to establish steps being taken by the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration to strengthen consumer protection frameworks and scale up public awareness campaigns to help citizens identify, prevent and report digital financial fraud.
By Juma Ndigo
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