Cybercriminal arraigned over Sh52 million bank and SACCO fraud

A notorious cybercriminal was Thursday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, where he was charged with Access with Intent to Commit a Further Offence.

This is contrary to Section 15(1) and Computer Fraud contrary to Section 26 (1) (b) as read with Section 2 (a) of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018.

Albert Komen Kipkechem alias Jonathan Kiptum Barmasai is the main suspect behind two incidents affecting a payment service provider, a local bank, and a SACCO, where the institutions lost over Sh52 million in June 2025.

Upon discovery of the fraud, the affected entities reported the matter to Economic and Commercial Crimes Unit detectives attached to the Cyber Fusion Unit at the Central Bank of Kenya, who recorded their statements and immediately launched investigations.

During investigations conducted in collaboration with experts drawn from the National Forensic Laboratory (NFL) and the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), it was established that the suspect, was the mastermind behind the brazen heist.

Further investigations revealed that the modus operandi in both incidents was similar.

It was established that the suspect used remote access software to gain unauthorized access to the payment platform and bank information systems and effected unauthorized transactions that did not follow the normal payment flow before the fraud was eventually detected.

After collecting relevant digital artifacts from the affected institutions and obtaining the necessary court orders and search warrants, detectives arrested the suspect in Thome area within Nairobi County, and escorted him to his Nakuru home, where several items linked to the fraud were recovered.

Among the recoveries were electronic gadgets, fraudulently registered identity cards, a money counting machine, cash in Kenyan currency, assorted SIM cards from various telecommunications service providers and ATM cards registered under other people’s names.

Also recovered were a Congolese passport bearing Albert Komen Kipkechem’s photograph but registered under the name Katempa Ngoy Alexisa and a Congolese identity card bearing the same name, among other items believed to have been used in the commission of the fraud. The suspect was escorted back to Nairobi and was processed accordingly.

Upon arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded at Capitol Hill Police Station until March 12, 2026, when the court will give directions on his bail and bond terms.