Editorials

EDITORIAL: Stiff jail terms proper

convicts

Cameroon national Ousman Ibrahim Bako (left) and his Nigerien counterpart Mohammed Sani before a Nairobi court yesterday where they were found guilty of faking US dollars amounting to Sh1.3 billion. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU

The stiff penalties handed out by a local court on two foreigners for printing fake currency are a step in the right direction.

The duo was sentenced to 10 years in prison after they were found guilty of being part of a transactional fake foreign currency syndicate.

The fact that the crime ring had fake currencies amounting to Sh110 billion just goes to show that the damage to our financial sector and general economy would would have been staggering had the illegal money penetrated the system. The gang was manufacturing the fake money and circulating it outside our borders.

READ: Trade in fake money earns duo 10-year prison term

By handing out the stiff sentences, the court sent out a message to these gangs that Kenya will not tolerate such nefarious activities.

We urge the security agencies to go a step further and intensify crackdowns on such illegal activities.

The fact that it took the intervention by neighbours to alert the authorities about the duo's activities in a residential area is proof that more needs to be done to step up vigilance in all corners of the country. Some questions also need to be answered. Could the duo and their cohorts been able to operate such a massive enterprise without the connivance of some rogue security personnel?