Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has frozen an undisclosed number of Binance user accounts, in what officials describe as a widening crackdown on crypto-linked fraud and money laundering, according to senior criminal investigators familiar with the operation who spoke to TechCabal on Monday.
The move followed complaints on social media on Monday from users who claimed they had been locked out of their accounts with little explanation from Binance.
A section claimed they are unable to access funds tied up in peer-to-peer (P2P) trades—the channel through which most local retail users convert their crypto holdings into cash—alleging frustration and raising questions about transparency during enforcement actions.
In response to affected users, Binance said the restrictions were imposed at the direction of authorities. “We have shared the information of the law enforcement authorities with you, meaning your account has been restricted at the request of law enforcement,” the crypto platform said in one message shared on X and seen by TechCabal.
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