Taxi drivers raise fraud concerns against private firm charging for Certificate of Good Conduct

Taxi drivers in Nairobi, who are attached to the Bolt ride-hailing app, are seeking the DCI's intervention to end what they claim to be a cyber-swindling syndicate that has seen them pay nearly double to fulfil the requirement for a new Certificate of Good Conduct every year.

As a security measure, the app requires thousands of its drivers to renew these certificates every year to continue operating on its platform.

This year, however, owing to delays in renewing the all-important document after applying, the drivers have been referred to an online platform called "Peleza" for help in fast-tracking the process.

A referral text from the app to the drivers is as follows:

Verbally, the company markets itself as the intermediary between the drivers and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which helps with access to the certificate at a fee.

On its platform, it claims to also verify driving licences, academic records, national identity cards, criminal records and other applicable public record information for companies conducting staff checks.

Peleza serves many drivers, but what they seemingly do not know is that, according to security officials who spoke to The Eastleigh Voice, there is no partnership between the organisation and the DCI (Forensic Fingerprint Identification Bureau).

After receiving several complaints from drivers, The Eastleigh Voice decided to accompany some drivers to Peleza's offices in Muthangari for the service.

Peter Munyeki (name withheld) knew his access to the app was expiring in March, so he applied for a Certificate of Good Conduct, otherwise referred to as a police clearance certificate, ahead of time—in January—but the document was delayed, forcing the app to block his access.

"I had not received the document at the beginning of this month, so my account was blocked. Later, the app sent us a text asking those who needed their certificates fast-tracked to use this Peleza company. I thought, 'why not'? I needed to be back on the app," he explains.

He added that all the drivers he knows, who are attached to the app, have been going to the company for assistance.

Before proceeding, Munyeki sourced information from his colleagues, who made him suspicious.

"What made me suspicious is the requirement for us to pay Sh800 for the service, which to me is like paying double for a single certificate because I had already paid Sh1,050 on the eCitizen platform," the driver says.

He adds that even after paying, there are delays in the release of the certificate to the app, which he likens to waiting for the document from the DCI, a process that often takes a long time. This added to his doubts.

A taxi parked along a street of Nairobi, waiting for clients, on February 4, 2016. (Photo: Simon Maina/AFP)

The process

The trip to Muthangari by The Eastleigh Voice found a compound with residential houses and what appear to be several offices on the ground floor. Taxi drivers are easy to spot, and immediately, a man standing near the entrance to Peleza's office signals us to his side.

"Are you here for the good conduct certificate? This way, please," he says as he ushers us to an outdoor patio in a corner of the compound, near the entrance.

There we find a few drivers waiting to be served and we watch them pay Sh650, not Sh800.

Next, the attendant uses his phone to take a passport-size photo of the drivers and fills in what appears to be individual drivers' e-forms before releasing them.

One driver asks, "When shall I get the certificate?"

"The certificate will be sent to your app in 24 hours, not to you; you will have to wait for the DCI to release yours to access it yourself," the attendant responds.

He attends to a few more drivers before getting to Munyeki, who pays the Sh650 and shares the receipt he obtained after paying for the certificate on the eCitizen, his phone number and national ID number, and a few more details, before the attendant takes a passport-size photo using his phone and lets him go.

"We need the eCitizen receipt to verify that a driver has paid for the certificate using a DCI tracker that we have access to. This helps us weed out cons," the attendant claims.

He adds that the firm has partnered with the ride-hailing app to make the process faster for drivers who need to get back to business after being locked out of their accounts.

We leave the compound as more drivers come in.

"I do not trust these people, but I had to use them because I was referred here by the app," another driver explains, oblivious to the danger of sharing his details and image with a stranger.

Some drivers said another popular ride-hailing app stopped working with Peleza in February, saying it no longer recognised the company.

We witnessed more people go through the same process to have their accounts opened by the app. After sharing their details with the company, they each received a report bearing the personal details they shared and comments detailing their "criminal check results."

"Peter Munyeki* has been searched in the Criminal Records Office database and has no known criminal record or result of trial as of February 12, 2024, as confirmed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on March 14, 2024," his report stated.

A file photo of the main entrance to the headquarters of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kiambu County. (Photo: X/DCI)

Peleza describes itself as an AI-powered solution offering checks for instant and seamless identity verification, background checks, business onboarding and transaction monitoring that ensure protection against fraud, money laundering and compliance with national and international laws.

"The forgery of Certificate of Good Conduct documents has emerged as a concerning trend, posing a significant threat to the reliability of background checks and the overall safety and security of organisations and communities. Moreover, inconsistencies in employment records are also becoming a prevalent issue in the professional world," it says on its website.

"Don't let forgeries compromise your organisation's credibility. Partner with us today for reliable background checks and safeguard your integrity."

On the platform, drivers are required to give the company consent to access and process their data without making payment claims.

After that, they are required to fill out a form with their name, ID number, telephone number, email, M-Pesa transaction code and a passport-size image.

Association says complaints received

According to Justin Nyaga, chairperson of the Organization of Online Drivers, the problem began about five months ago.

"Drivers have been complaining to us and we have tried to address it by holding meetings with the application companies, unsuccessfully. We got to a point where we decided, as officials to retreat and restrategise," Nyaga told The Eastleigh Voice.

"We have been requesting the apps to remove the requirement for the good conduct certificate and rely on other documents, like our PSV badges, licenses, and vehicle documents, but they are yet to approve this," he added.

The chair explained that the certificate does not reflect immediately after payments are made to Peleza, so it is not worthwhile since then the driver's account is not opened immediately.

"Sometimes it opens then closes and a driver goes weeks without access to the account for maybe a car that is still servicing a loan," he said.

Several security officials confirmed to The Eastleigh Voice that the claims of a partnership between Peleza and the DCI and other government agencies were false.

They said, for example, that the National Transport and Safety Authority has no intermediary between it and its clients for delayed driving licences.

Detectives said the authenticity of a Certificate of Good Conduct and the processing status can be established by anyone by dialling *512# or sending the word "DCI" to 21546 for about Sh10.

Another option is to use the URL https://dci.ecitizen.go.ke/verify which redirects one to the eCitizen platform, where the PCC reference number indicated on the payment receipt is keyed in for the status of any police clearance certificate.

"It tells whether the certificate has been applied for, and the status of processing, and can help authenticate if a certificate is genuine. This must be what the company knows and is doing to dupe the drivers because no one should pay Sh600 or Sh800 to get this done for them," a detective explained.

This information is contained in every certificate as a footnote at the bottom of the page but as it turns out, many drivers are unaware and therefore easily get duped.

"Anyone is free to use the information in the footnote to obtain verification for free, without using a third party," Tom Muriithi, the deputy director in charge of forensics, told The Eastleigh Voice.