Three men have been charged before a Nairobi court with orchestrating a SIM swap fraud using the mobile phone number of Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam, while he was in custody.
Amos Nzomo Kimanzi, James Mutemi Munyithya, and Dennis Masavi Musyimi are accused of accessing the officer’s phone line, which was being held as evidence by IPOA over the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang and using it to solicit money from Talaam’s family, friends and lawyers.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, informed the court that the three “fraudulently and dishonestly replaced SIM card belonging to Talaam and unlawfully solicited money from members of the public for their own gain.”
Appearing before Milimani Magistrate Dolphina Alego, the three were charged with five counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, computer fraud, unlawful possession and use of an identity card, and obtaining registration by false pretenses.
In a surprising twist, Musyimi pleaded guilty to three of the charges. He admitted to using the SIM-swapped line belonging to Talaam to defraud Kenyans, just a day after the police boss was arrested over the murder of Ojwang in June.
Musyimi admitted that he posed as Talaam, claiming to be in trouble and urgently in need of financial help.
However, Nzomo and Munyithya, denied all the accusations against them by the Prosecution.
Prosecutors allege that Munyithya, without authority or excuse, used identity card to his co-accused belonging to Amos Nzomo Kimanzi to register a SIM card which was later linked to the fraudulent activities.
Nzomo is accused of knowingly permitting Munyithya to use his ID, “with intent to deceive.”
Further, Musyimi was separately charged with impersonation, having allegedly procured a SIM card in Talaam’s name through false pretenses.
“On June 16, 2025... he willfully procured for another person the registration of SIM card replacement by claiming to be the said OCS Talaam Samson Kiprotich,” the court was told.
The court ordered that Musyimi, who pleaded guilt, be remanded until August 20, 2025 when the prosecution will present the facts of the case for sentencing.
The magistrate directed that his co-accused be released on bond of Sh500,000 or cash bail of Sh250,000, each with two contact persons.