By Andrew Kariuki
A Nairobi court has charged a man accused of carrying out cyber-attacks that allegedly caused millions of shillings in financial losses to a company.
Albert Komen Kipkechem, also known as Jonathan Kiptum Barmasai, appeared before the Milimani Law Courts where he was charged with offences relating to unauthorised access to computer systems and computer fraud under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018.
According to the charge sheet, the accused is alleged to have breached the security systems of Eclectics International, gaining access without authorization between June 6 and June 20, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that through the unlawful access, the accused fraudulently caused a financial loss of Ksh52,549,798 to the company.
The prosecution further told the court that the accused is suspected to be linked to a series of cyber-attacks affecting several financial institutions, with total losses estimated to be about Ksh100 million.
Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) told the court that they oppose the release of the accused on bail, citing several compelling reasons.
In an affidavit filed before the court, the investigating officer stated that the accused allegedly possesses advanced technical expertise capable of remotely accessing, encrypting or deleting digital evidence, which could compromise ongoing investigations if he is released.
The prosecution also told the court that investigations are continuing into other related cyber fraud incidents and releasing the accused could prejudice the ongoing inquiries.
Investigators further claimed that at the time of his arrest on March 2, 2026, the accused was allegedly found with eight different national identity cards bearing his photograph but displaying different names and nationalities.
According to the affidavit, the possession of multiple identification documents suggests an attempt to conceal his identity and raises concerns that he could flee the country if granted bail.
The prosecution also informed the court that the accused is a holder of a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) passport, further raising concerns that he may abscond from the jurisdiction.
The state also expressed fears that the accused could interfere with witnesses, some of whom are former associates or employees of institutions affected by the alleged cyber-attacks.
During the proceedings, the defence argued that bail and bond is a constitutional right, stating that they had only just been served with the prosecution’s affidavit opposing bail.
The defence requested more time to review the documents and prepare a response before the court determines the bail application.
They asked the court to grant two to three days to respond to the issues raised by the prosecution.
Following the request, the court ordered that the accused be detained at Capital Hill Police Station pending further directions.
The matter will be mentioned on March 12, 2026, when the court will hear arguments and determine issues relating to the accused’s bail application.
