Written by Were Kelly
Three men have been arraigned before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi over a high-profile SIM swap fraud scheme that targeted a former senior police officer and unsuspecting members of the public.
The suspects – Dennis Masavi Musyimi, Amos Nzomo Kimanzi, and James Mutemi Munyithya – were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to Section 393 of the Penal Code, alongside several cybercrime-related offences.
According to the prosecution, the trio conspired between June 16 and 19, 2025, to fraudulently replace a Safaricom SIM card belonging to former Nairobi OCS, Samson Kiprotich Talam. Once obtained, the line was allegedly used to solicit and receive money from members of the public under false pretences.
In court, Musyimi pleaded guilty to a charge of computer fraud under Section 26(1) of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, admitting that on June 16, 2025, he impersonated Talam to procure the fraudulent SIM replacement, which he later used to obtain money for personal gain.
His co-accused, Kimanzi and Munyithya, denied the charges and are set to stand trial. Munyithya also faced an additional count of unlawfully using another person’s identity card, with prosecutors alleging he used Kimanzi’s national ID to register SIM card number 0112011882 and activate a MobiGo handset linked to the fraud. Kimanzi, in turn, was accused of permitting the fraudulent use of his ID.
Musyimi was further charged with obtaining registration by false pretence under Section 320 of the Penal Code, having impersonated the former OCS during the SIM swap process.
The prosecution, led by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), listed key witnesses including the complainant, cybercrime experts, a Safaricom representative, and investigating officers.
Principle magistrate Dolphina Alego directed that Dennis Musavi should be presented in court on the 20th August for the case facts to be explained to him. The other two accused,Amos Nzomo Kimanzi, and James Mutemi Munyithya were offered release on a Ksh 500,000 bond each or alternatively a cash bail of Ksh 100,00
