Three charged over SIM swap fraud using Central OCS Talaam's phone
National
By
Nancy Gitonga
| Aug 19, 2025
Dennis Masavi Musyimi, Amos Nzomo Kimanzi and James Mutemi Munyithya before Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi, on August 19, 2025. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]
Three men have been charged before a Nairobi court for allegedly orchestrating a SIM swap fraud using the mobile 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
In one of the charges the Director of Public Prosecutions, informed the court that the three suspects “fraudulently and dishonestly replaced SIM card belonging to Talaam and unlawfully solicited money from the public for their own gain.”
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Appearing before Milimani Magistrate Dolphina Alego the trio 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.
The alleged crimes occurred between June 16 and June 19, 2025.
In a surprising twist, the third accused persons Musyimi pleaded guilty to the three counts.
He admitted to using the SIM-swapped line belonging to suspended OCS Talaam to defraud unsuspecting 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, his co-accused, Nzomo and Munyithya, denied all the accusations levelled against them by the prosecution.
Prosecutors allege that Munyithya without authority or excuse, used the identity card belonging to co-accused Amos Nzomo Kimanzi to register a SIM card which was later linked to the fraudulent activities.
Nzomo, in turn, 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, within the Republic of Kenya, 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 guilty, 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 Sh 500,000 or cash bail of Sh 250,000, each with two contact persons.
Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are still probing into how Talaam’s SIM card and national ID, believed to be in the custody of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa), ended up being accessed by civilians.
Talaam, who is currently under suspension and facing murder charges has been listed as a complainant in the matter.
Other key witnesses expected to testify include a Safaricom representative, a cybercrime analyst, and the investigating officer form DCI
The matter will be mentioned again in court on Wednesday for sentencing and pretrial directions.