Suba North Member of Parliament Millie Odhiambo Mabona has demanded that telecommunications giant Safaricom refund money she says was siphoned from her M-Pesa account during the December festive season.
The outspoken legislator accused the company of negligence and alleged that her M-Pesa account was emptied without her knowledge, leaving a balance of just KSh 17. She said the loss came at a difficult time, noting that January has placed heavy financial demands on her, including school fees and household bills.
“MPesa, I need my money back. This is January, and fees must be paid. Sawa?” Odhiambo said in a post shared on her Facebook timeline.
According to the MP, she discovered the alleged theft over Christmas when she was hosting a guest and attempted to use funds she believed were safely stored in her M-Pesa wallet. She said she was shocked to find that the money had vanished, forcing her to seek an alternative way to cater for her visitor.
“This Christmas, I was broke. I had guests, and I had money on M-Pesa. I decided to use it, only to discover it had been cleared by M-Pesa thieves. They left a balance of KSh17. I had to borrow,” she stated.
Odhiambo further alleged that the incident may have been an inside job, directly blaming Safaricom for failing to safeguard customer funds.
Her claims add to a growing list of complaints from M-Pesa users who have previously reported unexplained deductions and alleged theft from their accounts. Some customers have accused the company of failing to act decisively or offer refunds after such incidents are reported.
Safaricom had not immediately responded to the MP’s claims by the time of publication.
