Some criminals make fake money in Kenya so as to exchange with genuine money. In Kenya, only De La Rue and Central Bank of Kenya are contracted to print money.
Today young men in their mid-twenties drive posh cars in the estates all courtesy of making fake money. Before you start developing that jealous, lemme tell you how they do it. To venture into the trade you just need your brain, any Vitamin C liquid and a litre or more of Iodine. That sounds easy I know! In addition to having iodine you’ll need microfilms of paper that are cut in the sizes of the different denominations of our currency. Because of greed many architects of this trade “wash wash” use a thousand note sized microfilms. Sorry I had not told you this trade is called ‘wash wash’. The microfilms are got from the maters of the trade- the Nigerians and Indians, where these masters get them from I don’t know.
Now the way money is made from the microfilms, Vitamin C and iodine. A friend approaches you and tells you all niceties of making you rich like him/her. He/she tells you how he/she is well connected with an insider at De La Rue, the connection comes in so as he can convince you how his money is real. You are told that that friend at De La Rue has a way of getting money in the making- which is black in colour- of which you will finish the making process in your house. To prove that, the friend will do you a sample by producing a blackened a thousand note from his wallet. Looking at the black money you will indeed get vulnerable to his tricks. The friend will proceed to get his next tool of trade out, Vitamin C pellets. The vitamin C pellets will be put in a cup of water and mixed to dissolve. Here the friend has not said that what he just put in water is vitamin C pellet but he’ll tell you that, the pellet is a very expensive chemical that is imported from some country, South Africa, China or India.
After the vitamin C pellet has dissolved in water that blackened note will be put in the water and ‘washed’. Once in the water some act of trying to remove dirt will be done, its actually like cleaning a cloth but softly not to tear the paper. In a one minute’s time that blacked note will be clean and it is real money awaiting to be used. For quick processes, the washed cash is ironed to dry. The washed money will be given to you or the friend will take you to an M-Pesa or bank, whichever you choose so that he can proof to you that the money is real.
Once you have been made to believe money can be made the trade begins. The scammer being a friend, he will ask you to help buy the ‘expensive chemical’ used in cleaning black money of which you will agree. They usually set a price at 10k as being the cheapest. There is always a promise that you two will share the proceeds. In the next visit of the friend ‘scammer’ he will come with the Iodined microfilms of which he made you believe it is money that has not yet undergone the complete money making process of De La Rue. Seeing those black papers you will be exited to cough you hard earned cash to make quick money. The friend will come with the black papers three times the amount of money you agreed to give in purchase of the expensive cleaning chemical. The black papers may be cleaned the same day but what am sure of, the friend-scammer will ask for a day or two to go find the chemical.
After you have given out your money you will be desperately calling him to come clean the ‘money’ which you believe the black papers are of which he may come back or never. If he comes back he has come for more money. The papers being real papers they will be cleaned by Vitamin C pellets and the result will be almost money looking papers. When that shocks you, you will be asked to give more money to rectify an anomaly in the process that made the money look faded, of course the money will be used to buy another chemical you will be told. If you don’t have the money it is called ‘Business closed’ since it must be more than your initial contribution and there is a deadline as to when the mess can be rectified. The friend will tell you three days for which he is sure you won’t make it. The result is he will remain a friend and secondly would have benefited from your greed for money.
If you are caught with fake money,you will be arrested and charged.The punishment for this is explained in one of the cases that happened in Kenya:
***Here is the case
1. The applicant herein Mboula Calonga Edy, was charged with being in possession of papers intended to resemble and pass as currency notes contrary to Section 367(a) of the Penal Code.
2. The particulars were that on the 10th day of November 2009 at Ruaka area in Nairobi within Nairobi area, jointly with others not before court, without lawful authority or excuse had in his possession papers intended to resemble and pass as 3.5 million U.S. dollars in one hundred denominations knowing them to be fake.
3. Upon conviction he was sentenced to a fine of Kshs.1 million in default to serve four years imprisonment.
4. The applicant filed an appeal which he abandoned on 12th November 2012 when he appeared in court to prosecute it. Instead the applicant prayed and was allowed to offer mitigation against the sentence.
5. In mitigation the applicant submitted that the lower court did not consider the 15 months he spent in remand during trial. He was sentenced to four years in prison, out of which he has now served 23 months. Cumulatively therefore he has spent 37 months in custody. He also submitted that he has suffered a lot, and that his father passed away while he was in remand.
6. The conviction was on account of being in possession of fake currency, but that a friend who deals in the business brought him to Nairobi to play music in his club and he was not involved in the fake currency business.
7. The applicant further submitted that in prison he was teaching fellow inmates to speak French, and had himself learnt Kiswahili, carpentry and how to make ketchup. He intended to start a business when he returns to Congo. Finally that he is a family man with two children.
8. The state opposed the appeal through learned state counsel Mr. Mulati stating that the applicant was charged with being in possession of papers intended to serve as currency contrary to Section 367(a) of the Penal Code. He was fined Kshs. 1 million in default to serve four years imprisonment.
9. It was urged that this offence attracts a maximum of 7 years, imprisonment and that therefore the four years imposed against the applicant are within the law. Further that the sentence starts to run on the date it is pronounced and does not necessarily take into account the period spent in remand.
