The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has made significant progress in tackling mobile money fraud with the arrest of two individuals in Mumias East, linked to a growing series of M-Pesa fraud schemes. This operation, carried out on September 26, 2025, is part of a wider, intelligence-led effort to curb financial crimes that have been increasingly targeting mobile money platforms in Kenya.
The arrests took place in Bomani Teachers’ Estate in Mumias town, following crucial intelligence. The suspects, whose activities had raised concern due to the rising number of fraud cases in the region, were apprehended with a large cache of items linking them to illegal operations. Among the seized evidence were over 5,000 Safaricom SIM cards, 70 Airtel SIM cards, and 24 Telkom SIM cards, indicating the large scale of the fraud network. In addition, the DCI recovered 142 national identification cards, which suggested the involvement of a significant number of victims whose details had been misused.
The operation also led to the seizure of various mobile phones, including a Safaricom Mobicom phone used for SIM card registration, and four Itel phones. These items are crucial to the ongoing investigations as they could provide more insight into how the fraud was being orchestrated.
This arrest follows a recent M-Pesa upgrade by Safaricom, which the DCI noted as an important step in curbing the rise of financial crime. The DCI has vowed to continue its crackdown on mobile money fraud, emphasizing that all those involved in similar criminal activities will be swiftly dealt with.
The two suspects are currently in custody at Kakamega police station and are expected to face charges in court soon. The DCI has assured the public that its efforts will persist until all mobile money fraud networks are dismantled, aiming to safeguard the integrity of mobile transactions and protect consumers from financial losses.
The arrests serve as a stern warning to those involved in mobile money fraud that law enforcement agencies are closely monitoring these illegal activities and are committed to holding perpetrators accountable.
