Kenya’s cybercrime scene has been thrust into the spotlight following the arrest of 26-year-old Seth Mwabe, a university dropout implicated in a Sh11.4 million digital heist against a leading betting firm.
Mwabe, once a second-year Information Technology student at Meru University, was tracked down by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Banking Fraud Unit and arrested at his Tatu City apartment last week.
Detectives say he allegedly breached the betting company’s security systems in July, siphoning millions before the suspicious activity was flagged and reported.
While little was known about Mwabe before his arrest, his online presence paints the portrait of an ambitious cybersecurity enthusiast.
On his LinkedIn profile, Mwabe describes himself as “an information security enthusiast driven by passion” and claims to have founded a cybersecurity training community at Meru University.
He listed interests ranging from mobile application security to private API reversing, network security, and IoT platforms.
His bio also carried a telling piece of advice: “When it comes to security, there is no exception to who is secure or what is to be secured; every single asset is a potential target for the ever-growing threat landscape.”
Between 2018 and 2020, Mwabe claimed to have practiced in at least three companies, sharpening his skills in digital defense and penetration testing.
He also maintained a blog, last updated in February 2018, where he detailed how poorly protected office printers could be hijacked using default passwords.
In 2019, he was awarded Sh50,000 in a cybersecurity challenge organized by a leading local bank, a recognition that briefly placed him on the radar of Kenya’s budding tech security scene.
Investigators now say Mwabe transformed his two-bedroom apartment into what resembled a personal cyber lab.
When DCI officers raided the home, they reportedly found a safe, a money-counting machine, multiple phones, and an array of high-end computer gadgets believed to have facilitated the heist.
Mwabe initially resisted arrest, forcing detectives to break down his door.
Inside, they confronted Mwabe, who insisted that he was no criminal but an independent cybersecurity consultant.
“I am an independent consultant; I get contracted by different entities. This is what I do,” Mwabe reportedly told officers.
Abraham Mugambi, the Regional Criminal Investigations Officer for Central Region, confirmed the arrest and the scale of the operation.
“This year in July, a report was made that a payment service provider had lost Sh11.4 million through fraudulent means. Investigations commenced, and experts established that the suspect bypassed the company’s security systems,” he said.
Mwabe, who once positioned himself as a defender against cyber threats, now stands accused of becoming the very danger he warned about.
Detectives believe he may be linked to other fraudulent operations, with investigations still ongoing.
Photos: Courtesy/ Seth Mwabe - Facebook