Meshack Ojwang’s case has triggered concern about the security of M-Pesa users in Kenya after he lost all his mobile money through what appears to be a SIM card cloning incident.
According to Lifelens TV, Meshack’s phone went missing while he was at the Nairobi City Mortuary identifying his son’s body. Soon after, his M-Pesa account was emptied. This incident has raised red flags on how easy it is for fraudsters to access people’s accounts and withdraw money without proper verification.
What makes the matter worse is the silence from Safaricom. Despite being the largest mobile provider in Kenya, they have not given any explanation or support to Meshack.
The same issue appears to have affected OCS Samson Talaam. Posts on social media show that he too lost money from his M-Pesa account, again likely through SIM cloning despite being in custody for the links in murder of Albert Ojwang.
This suggests a wider problem that might not be isolated to these two individuals. The tactic used involves duplicating someone’s SIM card, allowing fraudsters to receive texts and approval messages meant for the original user.
That means once they have access to your phone number, they can control your entire M-Pesa account.
It is troubling that Safaricom has not responded to these serious cases. With millions relying on M-Pesa daily, the expectation is that the company should be at the forefront of protecting users.
But based on recent cases, it seems Safaricom has failed to act or even offer basic support. This inaction leaves users exposed and alone in dealing with fraud.
When someone’s money is stolen through a loophole in the system, the company running the platform must at least investigate and provide help.
People are now beginning to question how secure M-Pesa really is. Safaricom has built a reputation around trust, but these recent events may begin to shake that image. If police officers and grieving parents can lose their money without any help or feedback from Safaricom, then what about the ordinary Kenyan?
There is also little information on whether Safaricom has improved its systems or warned customers about these types of attacks.To stay safe, users are being advised to regularly check their M-Pesa statements and protect their SIM cards from theft.
But this alone is not enough. The bigger responsibility lies with Safaricom to strengthen their systems, introduce better fraud alerts, and support victims instead of ignoring them.
The trust users place in mobile money platforms must be earned through action, not silence.
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