A top executive at Pesapal, whose name has not yet been made public, has been summoned and grilled by detectives from the Banking Fraud Investigations Unit over the disappearance of more than Sh24.5 million.
The questioning follows a complaint by two Chinese nationals who say the money vanished after moving through the company’s systems.
The exact amount lost is Sh24,510,793. Redspot Lotus Company Limited, linked to the complainants, has told investigators that the funds were siphoned through a carefully planned system manipulation.
Detectives are now looking at how the transfers were authorised, who had the necessary access, and whether internal checks were deliberately bypassed or simply failed.
Pesapal is a major digital payments processor based in Nairobi. Thousands of businesses and individuals rely on it every day to move money. When a large sum disappears and the trail leads back to the platform itself, the questions become serious.
Trust is the foundation of any payments company. Once that trust is shaken, recovery is slow and costly.
The Banking Fraud Investigations Unit does not call senior staff in for routine chats. Their involvement shows the complaint has weight. Investigators will examine system records, interview staff, and follow the movement of the money.
The Chinese nationals and their company have already described the loss as the result of calculated action rather than error. That claim now sits at the heart of the probe.
Digital payment platforms in Kenya have grown fast. So have the risks. Criminals look for weak points, and sometimes those points exist inside the systems that are supposed to protect users.
When foreign investors lose millions and point at a local firm, the pressure on investigators and regulators rises.
Confidence in the wider payments ecosystem takes a hit.
Pesapal has so far remained quiet on the details of what happened and what steps it has taken. Silence leaves space for speculation. For a company that depends on public confidence, that is a difficult position to hold.
