Wallet Found in a Mombasa Hotel Lobby
At 18:40 in a Mombasa beach hotel lobby, a housekeeper hands the duty guard a brown wallet found between sofa cushions. It contains KES 24,500 in cash, a Kenyan ID card, two bank cards and a business card. A senior colleague says, “Just split the cash with me; the guest checked out at 15:00 and will never know. The CCTV in the lobby has been faulty since Monday.” The hotel’s lost-and-found procedure says items must be logged within 30 minutes in the presence of a second staff member, sealed in an envelope, and handed to the duty manager; cash above KES 5,000 must be reported to the security manager. The guard’s shift ends in 20 minutes. The colleague is not the guard’s supervisor but is older and has 12 years’ service.
1. Identify the ethical and legal issues raised by the colleague’s suggestion.
Read the worked answer
Taking or splitting the cash would be theft, not a perk of the job. The wallet is lost property, not abandoned property; the guest has a reasonable expectation of recovery, and the hotel has a duty of care. The guard also owes fidelity to the employer and must follow the lost-and-found procedure. The ID and bank cards are personal data; copying, sharing or using them would breach confidentiality and data protection principles. The colleague’s seniority and length of service do not make the suggestion legitimate. The faulty CCTV is itself a reportable security failure and does not reduce the guard’s duty. Remaining silent would make the guard a participant or, at minimum, someone who failed to report a suspected offence.
2. Describe the steps the guard should take and the records to make.
Read the worked answer
Do not hand the wallet to the colleague. Call a second staff member, preferably the duty manager or another guard, and count the cash in their presence; record the total and, if practical, the denominations. Place the cash, cards and ID in an envelope, seal it, and both people should sign across the seal. Issue or complete a receipt and log the item within 30 minutes. Notify the duty manager and security manager, especially because the cash exceeds KES 5,000. Store the envelope in the safe. Contact the guest through the booking contact details, verifying identity before release. Record the colleague’s words verbatim, the time, and witnesses, and report the faulty CCTV separately. Avoid public gossip about the colleague.
3. If the colleague takes the wallet and walks away, what should the guard do?
Read the worked answer
Do not start a physical struggle over property unless it is necessary to prevent immediate harm to a person; the guard’s safety comes first. State clearly that the wallet must be returned and that the matter will be reported. If the colleague leaves with it, note the time, direction, description and any witnesses, preserve any available CCTV, and report immediately to the duty manager and security manager; call police if instructed. Write a factual statement and keep it confidential. The guard should not accuse other staff or post about the incident, and should ask for protection from retaliation through the proper reporting channel.