A suspected cybercriminal has been arraigned in court over an alleged digital fraud scheme that led to the loss of more than Ksh52 million from a local bank and a Sacco.
In a statement issued on Thursday, March 5, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the suspect was charged with access with intent to commit a further offence and computer fraud.
The agency identified the accused as Albert Komen Kipkechem, who is believed to be behind two cyber incidents reported in June 2025 that targeted a payment service provider, a local bank, and a Sacco.
Suspect Arraigned for Alleged Ksh52M Cyber Fraud Targeting Bank and Sacco. Photo: Courtesy.
According to the investigators, the incidents resulted in financial losses exceeding Ksh52 million for the affected institutions.
The affected institutions reported the incident to detectives from the Economic and Commercial Crimes Unit attached to the Cyber Fusion Unit at the Central Bank of Kenya, prompting immediate investigations.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the probe involved specialists from the National Forensic Laboratory (NFL) and the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), who established that the suspect, Albert Komen Kipkechem, was behind the scheme.
Investigators determined that the suspect allegedly used remote access software to infiltrate a payment platform and banking information systems, enabling him to conduct unauthorized transactions outside the normal payment process.
Following the findings, detectives secured court orders and tracked the suspect to Thome in Nairobi, where he was arrested.
He was later escorted to his home in Nakuru, where officers recovered several items believed to be linked to the alleged fraud.
During the search, detectives recovered several items believed to be linked to the alleged fraud, including electronic gadgets, fraudulently registered identity cards, a money-counting machine, cash in Kenyan currency, assorted SIM cards, and ATM cards registered under different names.
Officers also seized a Congolese passport bearing Albert Komen Kipkechem’s photograph but registered under the name Katempa Ngoy Alexisa, along with a Congolese identity card bearing the same name and other materials suspected to have been used in the scheme.
The suspect was later escorted back to Nairobi, where he was processed and subsequently arraigned in court.
Kipkechem denied the charges and was remanded at Capitol Hill Police Station pending further directions from the court on March 12, 2026, regarding his bail and bond terms.
