Forex Bureau owner cries foul over mistaken identity
The owner of a Forex Bureau in Nairobi, whose identity matched that of a similar business blacklisted by the Kenyan Government for alleged links with terrorist organizations on Wednesday, is reeling from the negative publicity this mishap has caused to his business.
Hassan Mohammed, who owns Sky Forex Bureau located on the ground floor of the 20th Century Plaza within Nairobi’s CBD, says he has received countless calls from his customers, the Central Bank, and friends, all of whom have sought “clarification” on the matter.
The media had on Thursday named Sky Forex Limited located on the 5th Floor Rehema House, among the 86 that were shut down, pending investigations to determine whether or not the owners had links to terrorist organizations namely Al-Shabaab, Mombasa Republican Council, Al Qaeda, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), and Boko Haram.
TERRORIST ATTACK
This move by the Government comes in the wake of the ruthless terrorist attack in Garrissa County, which left more than 150 people, most of whom were student dead.
“Some Embassies have called all through, asking me if it is true that I am Al-Shabaab. So have some of my friends abroad. Infact, we have recorded low business today and this could be linked to that erroneous report by the media,” Mohammed told Nairobi News.
“As you can see we are still in operation which confirms our innocence. All the others bureaus have closed,” Mohammed added.
Meanwhile, several bureau and hawala owners which were closed down on Wednesday, have began lobbying the Government to resume their operations even as investigations to the matter continue.
Nairobi News has since learnt that security agents visited some of the affected bureaus on Thursday morning to question their owners and pick some vital information as part of the investigations.