On 26th March 2026, a Milimani Magistrate Court granted police five days to detain two suspects mother Ruth Kinya and her son Brian Kithinji over an alleged SIM swap fraud that resulted in over KSh 1.2 million being irregularly credited to a complainant’s account.
According to an application presented in court by Police Constable Paul Kalama, attached to the Banking Fraud Investigation Unit, the suspects were arrested on 23rd March 2026 following investigations into a complaint lodged by Amos Kipruto.
He reported that on 9th March 2026, he received a notification indicating that a loan of KSh 4.6 million had been disbursed in his name, despite having no record of applying for such a facility.
Court documents seen by kauntinews.com reveal that on January 12, 2026, Kipruto traveled to Ethiopia for work. While there, on 9th March 2026, he detected suspicious transactions involving his Absa Bank account and credit card.
Upon contacting the bank, he learned that his account had been compromised through a fraudulent SIM swap on his Safaricom line, conducted without his consent while he was out of the country.
Although his account held little cash, the fraudsters exploited his credit facilities to obtain a top-up loan of KES 886,000.00, credit card funds totaling KES 262,000.00, and a digital (Digi) loan of KES 150,000.00.
These funds were transferred to three specific M-Pesa numbers.The complainant returned to Kenya on 13th March 2026 and reported the matter at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) police station, prompting an inquiry by the Banking Fraud Investigation Unit.
On 24th March 2026, Safaricom notified investigators that Kinya had visited their offices after a mobile line, which had received KES 250,000.00, was suspended. Police arrested Kinya at the Safaricom head office.
Further investigations revealed that an M-Pesa agent registered to Brian Kithinji had used to withdraw the stolen funds, which were then deposited into the first respondent’s line. Additional investigations uncovered that Kipruto’s Safaricom line had been fraudulently swapped, allowing unauthorized access to his financial accounts.
Authorities established that a total of KSh 1,265,000 was credited and subsequently withdrawn through suspicious transactions linked to the respondents.The prosecution informed the court that the two suspects are related as mother and son and argued that more time was necessary to obtain crucial documents to support a formal charge.
The investigating officer also expressed concerns that the suspects’ places of residence were unknown, raising the risk of interference with ongoing investigations.However, counsel holding brief for the respondents opposed the application, stating that the suspects had been cooperating with investigators.
The defense highlighted that the first respondent is a mother of three and the sole provider for her family, adding that she resides in Meru a known place of residence. In response, the prosecution dismissed these claims, asserting that the court had been misled regarding the respondents’ residence and maintained that the suspects posed a flight risk.
In his ruling, Presiding Magistrate Paul Mutai granted the prosecution’s application, allowing five days including the weekend for investigators to complete their inquiries.The two suspects will remain in custody at Capital Hill Police Station pending the case’s mention on a later date.
