Mulot, infamous cybercrime hub seeks way out
Mulot shopping centre, by any standards, is hardly noticeable as you drive on the Narok-Bomet Road.
Businesses gradually open at 9:30 am with traders exchanging pleasantries. At first glance, you would hardly believe this small sleepy town is the home of the country's most renowned cybercriminals. Mulot in Bomet East, Bomet County, exists because of trade disputes between the Maasai and the Kipsigis communities, at the border between Narok and Bomet counties.
Deriving its name from one of its first settlers, Mulot hosts a population of between 15,000 and 21,000 residents. The trading centre boasts two busy market days a week, Wednesday and Saturday, luring traders from as far as Tanzania. On a typical market day, Mulot attracts up to 30,000 people and goes up to eight hours long sometimes.
As has been for ages, trade here revolves mainly around flour and livestock. Second-hand clothes, cereals, and vegetables are common commodities on market days. Driving by, it is easy to dismiss Mulot as any other roadside centre as traders go about their day. Numerous water sellers hurry donkeys distributing the rare and much-needed commodity. However, in the midst of it all lies another trade—cybercrime.
Recently, stories of Mulot youth defrauding individuals have hit the headlines. In one case, a senior police officer fell victim and lost over Sh500, 000. In March last year, police retrieved more than 2,000 Sim cards, 15 mobile phones, and a register with victims’ names from youths arrested for cybercrime. In both cases, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) traced the youth's roots to Mulot.
Unemployment
This mainly occurs in mobile money transfer platforms. Earlier this year, a group of youth from Mulot tried gaining access to the Ministry of Education website, further highlighting the level of technical know-how among its youth. So, how did such a small market get such a monstrous reputation?
According to a resident, Mike Cheboror, the youth in this region suffer from unemployment.
This poses a considerable problem, given that 70 per cent of residents are young. Too many unemployed youths in one area mean a population that struggles to feed its people.
A foundation stone laid to mark the grounds for the soon-to-be-built Kenya Software Factory in Mulot, Bomet County pictured on November 2, 2022.
Mr Cheboror also feels that poor parenting has contributed to indiscipline. He notes that many parents do not question when their young children bring home stuff bought with stolen money. He also cites examples where young people openly fail to heed advice from their elders. According to Mr Cheboror, the youth are also eager to live the flashy lifestyle they see others live. This entices them to indulge in get-rich-quick schemes.
Quick access to smart gadgets and dependable internet sources gives the youth in Mulot a boost in cyber fraud. Over time, boys, mainly between 16 and 18, have perfected the art of accessing unsuspecting victims' accounts. They then transfer the money in an elaborate and almost untraceable process and later share it.
This is easily seen by the number of young unemployed youth buying new motorbikes and cars in the area. Those in the high ranks of these syndicates have even purchased land and built mansions. Given there's no tertiary facility in Mulot, Form Four leavers often have to seek further education elsewhere.
A majority choose to stay after completing their education at Mulot Secondary School. The young boys slowly adapt to crime while the girls gravitate towards business and prostitution.
School dropout
According to Mr Francis Kimbei Laboso, the area committee's chairperson, slow growth in Mulot can be attributed to many factors, among them the absence of tertiary institutions that leave the youth with nothing to do.
The school dropout rate is 60 per cent for both boys and girls, which is considerably high in this era. Besides the lack of colleges nearby, the dropout rate is accelerated by the need to go out and earn money as traders do.
Government absence has also left many of these young people with the confidence to venture into unruly behaviour. Mulot has missed a police station for many years, with residents having to depend on police from neighbouring towns. Although the government set up a police post in the area a few months ago, residents feel they need more government presence.
Mr Laboso says they have a long way to go, as the new police post is housed in a rented facility. Another notable cause of high cybercrime rates is reliable access to the Internet.
Smart devices
Mulot Town committee secretary Reuben Towett notes that almost every youth here has intelligent devices that are constantly connected to internet sources. Internet use here is evidenced by the many satellite dishes we see.
Almost every construction in Mulot has one or more on its rooftop, semi-permanent structures included. Without proper monitoring, young people readily venture onto dangerous and misleading websites. Mr Towett echoes Mr Cheboror's sentiments on poor parenting, saying most parents hardly know what content their children consume online.
The need to access quick money is another contributing factor. During our trip, a cyber guy we spoke to showed us his internet speeds by googling 'How to make money'. Young people are eager to enumerate the flashy lifestyles they see on social media platforms. They also want to make the same money as they see traders flash around during market days.
Mulot Town Committee Chairman Francis Kimibei Laboso (left) and Secretary Reuben Towett as they told the history of Mulot town during the interview on November 2, 2022.
Mr Cheboror notes that it is easy to tell who's recently joined the crime as they suddenly change their style to look like celebrities. They are spotted donning colourful gear accompanied by shiny bling. You can also tell them apart from their tendency to party in fancy joints even during the day. Their generosity is notable also, as they can easily walk into a restaurant or bar and offer to clear everyone's bill.
Like other towns in Kenya, Mulot is dotted with many motorbikes ridden by young men helping people move around quickly. In Mulot, however, many owners of these bodas bought them from direct or indirect cybercrime. These same young men use them to earn a living, opting out of school. Mr Laboso notes that young men rush to purchase a new motorbike as soon as they handle vast amounts of money.
Others who are higher in the system or have had good luck in the crime purchase popular car brands like Probox and Noah. Some who have been in such rings for about a decade even have mansions. This is evidenced by a quick growth in real estate, with many modern structures cropping up fast in the past half-decade.
Low economic status
Low economic status and hunger also motivate the youth to join. Since few parents condone dropping out of school, youths who do it are left exposed, having to fend for themselves. They need little convincing to join syndicates as they, too, want to live in comfort.
Cybercrime in Mulot is so organised it has left older residents marvelling. Mr Towett explains that the youth build these connections amongst trusted family members and friends.
They only confide in those who will not sell out, and the transactions are kept a secret.
For starters, they work in groups in quiet bushes. They have identified calm spaces in three known forests—Kap Tibis, Salabwek and Ngiito.
Here, the internet speeds are fast, and the environment away from prying eyes. First, some youth are assigned to keep watch along the perimeter as others shoo away birds and other small animals that might cause a disturbance.
They then set up office-like spaces from which they call victims. Sometimes the ‘swappers’, as they are commonly known, operate in quiet rented homes where they don't raise suspicion.
Mr Towett says they are pretty convincing, especially since victims can hear other callers in the background, making them believe the calls are legitimate. They politely ask for personal information in the pretence of either updating bank accounts or checking account legitimacy.
Once a victim lets the guard fall, their money is quickly transferred into one account and then another in a long chain that makes it hard to trace. The loot is shared in levels as agreed, everyone per their role. It is not unusual for uninvolved residents to get dragged in when the criminals request them to “hold” some money for them.
Once, Mr Towett was approached by a person familiar to him, asking him to help him stash some Sh20 million with the promise of good pay. He declined but says he knows some people who get excited about getting rich quickly. They would accept the offer, making the stolen money hard to trace or recover.
Tightening the screws
Cybercrime is not all rosy now, though. Most criminals are lying low after Mulot came into the spotlight. Others quit after seeing the bad ending the government serves those caught. Safaricom, the primary source of quality internet in Mulot, is constantly upping the game in cybercrime prevention.
The mobile network operator has increased customer sensitisation, reminding users to refrain from sharing personal information with random callers. The police have also embarked on a crackdown, pursuing stolen money and arresting those whose accounts are suspected of having been involved.
The committee led by Mr Laboso is doing its part in talking the youth out of this path. They hold gatherings where they talk and listen to the youth. The committee, having existed for over two decades, is well aware of the dangers of cybercrime and is willing to work with the government to give the youth better chances.
The elders hope the government will improve security, build wider roads, facilitate power distribution, introduce street lights and mount proper road signage. According to Mr Towett, this will make it easy to trace fraudsters.
There is also much hope after the Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and Youth Affairs launched a software plan mid-this year. The foundation stone for a Sh100 billion software factory has been laid as the government seeks to cultivate the local youth’s potential and creativity. It is part of the Digital Master Plan launched in April, which will see two software factories set up in the country. The Hustler Fund is also an everyday talk among residents and is expected to lure the youth into legitimate trade.
