CBK cautions Kenyans against unlicensed money or value transfer services providers

In a statement to newsrooms on Monday, CBK said that it has noticed a sprouting wave of unlicensed entities providing MVTS, posing huge losses on customers and it is a criminal offence.

"Such services do not enjoy the protection of the law and consumers stand to lose in case of any default by the providers of these services," read part of the statement.

Members of the public have therefore been requested to submit any information on the identities and physical locations of entities providing MVTS without a license.

"The information may be submitted anonymously if the person reporting does not wish to disclose his/her identity," said CBK.

For ease of public reference, Licensed entities operate as payment service providers or money remittance providers and they conspicuously display the CBK license or authorization on their business premises.

Money or value transfer services refer to any system, mechanism, or network of people that receives money for the purpose of making the funds or an equivalent value payable to a third party in another geographic location.

It involves the acceptance of cash, cheques, and other monetary instruments to a beneficiary by means of communication, message, transfer, or through a clearing network to which the MVTS provider belongs.