Fortune Sacco member challenges withdrawals through mobile banking he says he never joined

David Muriithi Miano says money left two of his savings accounts through a mobile banking service he had never signed up for or used. The long-time Fortune Sacco member is now seeking help from the Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK), asking it to intervene in a dispute over withdrawals he says he neither knew about nor authorised, according to Capital FM Kenya Business (direct).

Miano dates the withdrawals to May 23, 2024. His complaint concerns both the loss of his savings and how the service could have been used to access his accounts. He has asked Fortune Sacco—a savings and credit cooperative—to produce any forms bearing his signature that registered him for mobile banking. He also wants an explanation of how the withdrawals happened. He says neither request has been answered.

From a police report to the Sacco’s headquarters

Miano said he reported the matter to Kimunye Police Post, where it was recorded under OB Number 19/23/05/2024. Two days after the withdrawals, he went to Fortune Sacco’s headquarters in Kerugoya, Kirinyaga County, accompanied by his three sons. He said he raised the issue there with Daniel Munyao, who was the Sacco’s operations manager at the time. The visit took his complaint directly to the institution holding his savings.

According to Miano’s account, the Sacco supplied a list of mobile phone numbers to which the withdrawn funds had been sent. That information did not resolve the questions he was asking about access to his accounts. His subsequent requests focused on the registration documents and the explanation for the transactions: whether there were forms he had signed to join the service, and how money had been withdrawn without his approval.

Miano also took the complaint to the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA), the regulator for savings and credit cooperatives. He said he reported it on September 30, 2024, but that the dispute remains unresolved. His appeal to the consumer federation follows those earlier reports to police, the Sacco itself and the sector regulator. The source does not give the amount withdrawn from either of his two accounts.

A demand for answers and compensation

In a letter to COFEK dated October 5, 2026, Miano argued that the Sacco should have protected his money against access he had not authorised. He described the withdrawals as a breach of trust and asked to be compensated for the funds he says he lost.

Miano said he believed the Sacco’s system should have prevented anyone from accessing his funds without his authorisation.

Capital FM Kenya Business’s report sets out Miano’s allegations but includes no response from Fortune Sacco, SASRA or COFEK. It does not establish how the withdrawals occurred or whether any mobile banking registration documents exist. The dispute therefore remains an account-holder’s complaint rather than a reported finding by police or the regulator.

Miano is now looking to COFEK to help settle the matter. The next development to watch is whether that appeal brings the account records and explanation he has requested, and a response to his demand for compensation.