Four men have been charged afresh in connection with a fraudulent scheme involving the unlawful replacement of a SIM card belonging to former Central Police Station OCS Samson Kiprotich Talam. The suspects allegedly used the SIM card to solicit money from unsuspecting members of the public.
The accused Brian Ronoh Kiprotich, Amos Nzomo Kimanzi, James Mutemi Munyithya, and Dennis Masavi Musimi are now facing 12 counts, including conspiracy to commit a felony, computer fraud, identity theft, and unlawful possession and use of multiple national identity cards.
According to court documents, the group conspired between June 16 and June 19, 2025, to fraudulently replace Talam’s Safaricom SIM card. Once the replacement was completed, the accused reportedly used the line to contact members of the public, posing as the OCS, and demanded money. Prosecutors revealed that Kiprotich later accessed Talam’s M-Pesa account, withdrawing funds using confidential PINs linked to the line.
Investigations led to the arrest of Kiprotich in Embakasi Pipeline on July 20, 2025. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of at least seven different national identity cards, including those belonging to individuals such as 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 using co-accused Kimanzi’s identity card to register a mobile phone line. He then activated a handset that was allegedly linked to the fraudulent activities.
During the bail hearing, the prosecution urged the court to reconsider earlier bond terms granted to the suspects, warning that releasing them could endanger the public. The legal team representing Talam emphasized the seriousness of the offences, pointing out that such fraudulent schemes compromise the financial security of ordinary citizens. They also requested a pre-bail report to assist the court in making an informed decision.
Defense lawyers opposed the application, stressing that bail is a constitutional right. They argued that no compelling reasons had been presented to justify limiting the accused persons’ liberty.
The magistrate directed that the issue of bail would be revisited after the pre-bail report is submitted, before adjourning the matter to a later date.
