Four men were Wednesday charged afresh in a case involving the fraudulent replacement of a SIM card belonging to former Central Police OCS Samson Kiprotich Taalam.
The accused Brian Ronoh Kiprotich, Amos Nzomo Kimanzi, James Mutemi Munyithya, and Dennis Masavi Musimi now face 12 counts, including conspiracy to commit a felony, computer fraud, identity theft, and unlawful possession and use of multiple national identity cards.
According to the charge sheet, the men conspired between June 16 and 19, 2025, to fraudulently replace Taalam’s Safaricom SIM card and used it to unlawfully solicit money from members of the public. Prosecutors said Kiprotich later accessed Talam’s M-Pesa account and withdrew funds using confidential PINs.
The court also heard that Kiprotich was arrested in Embakasi Pipeline on July 20, 2025, in possession of at least seven different identity cards including those belonging to Elisha Siele, Robert Mwinzi Mulango, Stephen Wambua Mutheki, Nzuva Masila, Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono, Nicholas Ouma Ouma, and Patrick Agesa Muhonja.
Separately, Munyithya was accused of unlawfully using co-accused Kimanzi’s identity card to register a mobile phone line and activate a handset linked to the alleged fraud.
During the bail hearing, lawyer Danstan Omari for Taalam urged the court to revoke the earlier bond terms granted by magistrates Dolphina Alego, warning that releasing the accused would endanger the public.
“This is the first time an exhibit in the hands of IPOA has been accessed in a manner we cannot comprehend,” Omari said.
“If these accused are released, many Kenyans are likely to suffer. Our monies are not safe with such people roaming free,”Omari submitted.
He further called for a pre-bail report citing the gravity of the offences and ongoing police efforts to trace additional suspects.
Defense lawyers, however, opposed the move, insisting that bail is a constitutional right.
“The right to bail is not absolute, but no compelling reasons have been given to limit it,” counsel for the accused argued, urging the court to maintain the bond terms.
The magistrate directed that the bail issue be addressed after receiving the pre-bail report, before adjourning the case.
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