IT guru attempted suicide, now in court over Sh4 billion theft

By Pkemoi Ng'enoh | 7yrs ago | 2 min read

Alex Mutungi Mutuku, the IT guru who is currently the talk of town following an alleged cybercrime that has resulted into a loss of Sh4 billion from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), is not new to controversy.

The University of Nairobi Information Systems graduate hit the headlines in early 2015 as part of a duo accused of hacking into systems at NIC Bank and Safaricom.

It was reported that Alex and his accomplice stole Sh2.88 million at NIC Bank head office in Nairobi.

Alex has now been accused of causing the loss of Sh4 billion from KRA by interfering with computer systems between March 2015 and March 2017. Mutuku did not plead to the charges as cybercrime officers asked that he be detained for 40 days to conclude investigations and arrest more suspects.

Investigations indicate that he had connections to a syndicate outside the country. Chief magistrate Francis Andayi ordered that Mutuku be detained until March 28.

In an interview with a local daily in 2015, Mutuku described himself as a self-employed software developer who sells applications on Google Playstore for survival without delving into details.

Just days before the NIC case, Mutuku attempted suicide by slitting his wrists after his girlfriend cheated on him.

In a suicide note, which was published online, the 28-year-old revealed that he had been in a six-year relationship with a young woman he identified as Delvine, and that they were even engaged.

“Man, I just felt like crap! I felt so disrespected. I have done everything for this girl...paid her school fees...applied jobs for her, even did the aptitude tests till she got one...bought her a car...gave here money (in millions), but she isn’t satisfied,” claimed Mutuku, adding that Delvine cheated on him after they got engaged at a Mombasa resort.

“I have never been suicidal, but these last three weeks have changed me. I have gone from being engaged to being suicidal,” he wrote in the note.

Mutuku’s social media posts portray him as one who eats life with a big spoon. He enjoys spending time in posh places and flies to other countries. On January 8, 2017, he posted on Facebook photos of his house, bikes and a dog.

“What more could one ask for. Thank you God,” read the Facebook post in part. In another post, also on Facebook and dated February 21, Mutuku wrote, “The most important thing for someone in their 20s? Make your own way. Put yourself in uncomfortable places.

Test yourself. Don’t listen to naysayers and to play-it-safer: mostly salaried guys with a paycheck. Even when they seem to be way ahead and you seem to be lagging behind.”