Family pleads for man stuck with Sh500,000 in old notes

The old Sh1,000 banknotes. Central Bank of Kenya had set a deadline for Kenyans to have them exchanged into the new currency banknotes by September 30, 2019.

The family of 60-year-old Julius Mboga from Sirondho village in Gem, Siaya County now wants the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge to help him exchange Sh500,000 worth of the old 1,000 notes with new ones.

Mr Mbogo failed to beat the September 30 deadline given by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to exchange old notes with new ones.

The man is a retired mechanic from Brook Bond Kenya Limited in Limuru, who received Sh1.5 million retirement dues in January 2019.

According, to his brother Joseph Ouko, their brother could be mentally unwell following a motorcycle accident.

He argued that this state of his health could have triggered the confusion, and as a result their brother could not remember the deadline.

"He received money from his employer as a retirement package. He had initially banked it but one day woke up and started (sic) withdrawing his money from the bank," said his brother.

When Standard Digital visited his home in Gem, he was said to have traveled to Kisumu. He also does not have a mobile phone, according to his relatives.

Mr Ouko noted that his brother has children in secondary school and a wife who depend on him.

"My brother needs help. Because of his health situation, he may not be able to know where to find it. He has been using the money to pay school fees for his children and that is why we are appealing for help on how he can exchange the notes," added Ouko.

According to his brother, Mbogo has been keeping poultry in small scale which he uses to take care of his family's needs.

"He does not want to interact with us as a family. Anytime I went to his house to talk to him, he would never allow me in. He usually spoke to me through the window with doors closed. I begged him to exchange his money before deadline," said Ouko.

Mr Ouko added that at some point the family opted to keep off so that it is not seen as if they are only interested in his money.

According to Mbogo 's brother he withdrew Sh200,000 from his account at Equity Bank in Siaya on June 14, 2019 before returning to collect another Sh300,00 on July 16.