Reformed Nairobi Pickpocket Says He Made KSh 40k On Good Days: "Hiyo Pesa Haisaidii"

• Moha worked as a matatu tout and would overcharge passengers, and was eventually fired after failing to pay his boss
• It marked his entry into pickpocketing, and he made KSh 40,000 on the first day after stealing an expensive phone
• The reformed pickpocket shared how they stole from Nairobi residents, the risks and how much money they made

A former notorious pickpocket in Nairobi’s CBD area has narrated his escapades.

How do Nairobi pickpockets operate?

Moha said he started his journey down the wrong path while working as a matatu conductor.

"I never called out the fare when passengers boarded. As other vehicles charged KSh 30, I would charge KSh 50."

According to Moha, born into an impoverished family in Korogocho, he was fired after failing to give the daily earnings to his boss.

“A friend introduced me to pickpocketing by encouraging me to carry a five-litre jerrican to make his hand lighter.

When I put my hand in your pocket, you won’t feel it," he told Edmac Media on YouTube.

Moha’s first day as a pickpocket was quite lucrative.

“The first phone I stole was Samsung S6 when it was released. I took it to a broker and got KSh 40,000. It was a sweet deal compared to the KSh 1,000 I made as a conductor."

Moha shared some tactics he used to steal from unsuspecting people.

“I would steal phones through matatu windows and disappear in traffic. We also worked with women of the night to steal from their clients."

How much do Nairobi pickpockets make?

Moha disclosed that being a pickpocket was risky, and a mob twice beat him.

“In one instance, I got caught after stealing from a woman on a boda boda. The riders descended on me, and I was in a seven-day coma.

Before the incident, my mum only heard rumours that I was a pickpocket. She started hating me.”

Moha disclosed that the highest amount he made in a day was KSh 210,000 stolen from a Somali lady operating an M-Pesa shop.

However, he noted that crime does not pay.

“I made up to KSh 40,000 on a good day and spent it all. I would not even have KSh 100 two days later. That money was cursed.”

Reformed thief started young

In other news, Peter Maina started stealing when he was in Class Two in Dandora.

Maina said that although he attended school to appease his parents, his aspirations were already inclined towards becoming a criminal.

His most regretful moment was when they robbed a pregnant woman, and she was stabbed.