Cash warning after Chinese cashier murdered in Kenya

Chinese companies in Kenya have been urged to avoid paying salaries in cash, as dozens of Chinese and Kenyans took part in a memorial on July 8 for a Chinese man who it is believed was killed by local workers.

The funeral for Zong Dehong was held at Langata cemetery, opposite to main gate of Nairobi National Park. The 48-year-old died at a construction site in an industrial area in the capital, Nairobi, on July 2.

Chen Chong, manager of China Jiangsu International East Africa Co, says the incident happened as Zong prepared to pay the workers' salaries, a combined 200,000 Kenyan shillings ($1,958).

At the time, four Chinese workers and more than 80 Kenyan workers were on the site, he says.

Chen says two local employees separated Zong from the crowd and attacked him, killing him with an sharp tool. As the victim had stored the salaries in his desk, the suspects escaped with only the cash from his pockets. Police are investigating.

Deng Changwu, who runs a construction company in Kenya, says after the funeral that his business had a similar incident several years ago, after which he stopped paying salaries in cash and instead started using M-Pesa, a mobile payment system.

He also complains that the low detection rate of criminal cases involving Chinese had led to more incidents.

"At least one Chinese worker dies from violent crime on construction sites each year, but as far as I'm aware, none of them (cases) have been solved," says Deng, who has lived in Kenya for a decade.

Chinese companies and employees in Kenya should take precautionary measures and use M-Pesa as much as possible, he adds.

The killing of Zong is the second incident to result in the death of a Chinese worker this year. On Jan 9, seven robbers broke into a construction site near Ngong Road in Nairobi, killing one worker and injuring three others.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn