Hero guard at ATM surrenders Sh20K left behind by ‘stressed’ customer
A security guard manning an ATM lobby of a local bank on Wednesday surrendered Sh20,000 that a customer withdrew and left at the machine.
Fridah Kanana Mwiti, a G4S employee was seated inside the Equity Bank, Tala Branch ATM lobby when a male customer walked in while speaking on phone.
“He looked disturbed and stressed while talking on phone and he quickly transacted before leaving the room. Minutes later I heard the sound as though a transaction was going and some cash came out of the machine. I quickly took the money and tried to follow the customer,” Ms Mwiti told Nairobi News in a phone interview.
The single-mother of one walked out of the ATM lobby but was unable to trace the customer and opted to surrender the money to the bank’s branch manager.
VIRAL PHOTO
A photo of Ms Mwiti inside the ATM lobby holding the money went viral online as members of a popular Facebook group Kilimani Mums Nairobi Uncensored admired her honesty.
Asked if she was tempted to keep the money for herself and her four-year-old son, Ms Mwiti told Nairobi News that she has never believed in keeping anything that does not belong to her.
“I believe in honesty as it’s the best way to live and since I saw the customer was disturbed and stressed I asked myself what if it was me?” said the 32-year-old.
Ms Mwiti has been based at the bank for the last one and a half years but has been an employee of G4S for four years.
During her previous tenure at a Co-operative Bank branch in 2014, Ms Mwiti collected Sh10, 000 from the ATM lobby and surrendered the money to customer care who traced the owner.
“I can never pick someone’s money and risk losing my job even if the money was how much I would still have surrendered it,” said the mother of one.
