Friday, March 6, 2026 - A notorious cybercriminal has been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, where he was charged with Access with Intent to Commit a Further Offence 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 fifty-two (52) million
shillings 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 12th, 2026, when the court will give directions on his bail and bond terms.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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