Five suspects have been taken to court after being linked to a complex hacking operation that saw over Sh3.2 million stolen from a motorist’s bank accounts. The theft happened after a planned mobile phone snatching incident, which took place on a busy evening along Race Course Road. The victim was stuck in traffic when two people approached his car from both sides and knocked on his windows.
Thinking he had been involved in a minor accident, the driver rolled down his window, but one of the men quickly grabbed his phone and ran away. This sudden robbery triggered a detailed investigation by detectives from Starehe Sub-County. Through digital forensic work, they found out that not long after the phone was taken, money was moved out of the victim’s two bank accounts without his knowledge.
In the first account, Sh1,892,625 was stolen. The stolen money was split and transferred to various individuals: Sh689,500 was sent to an account linked to Fredrick Maina Wairimu, Sh299,500 to Brian Machani, and Sh499,500 to Brian Obaye Kiveu. Another Sh404,125 was pushed through the victim’s mobile wallet and later transferred into encrypted M-Pesa accounts.
The second account was also compromised, and Sh1,311,615 was lost. Some of the main transactions from this account included Sh299,500 to Bonface Kirim Baimana, another Sh299,500 to John Erick Musyoki Kyengo, and Sh211,000 to Jambo Pay Trust. The rest Sh501,615 was spread across seven different Safaricom mobile numbers. With the help of surveillance and digital tracking, detectives arrested Fredrick Maina Wairimu. During questioning, he admitted that Peter Wandera Ouma had asked him to register several bank accounts connected to Safaricom phone numbers.
For each account, Wairimu was paid Sh1,000. In total, he handed over 11 accounts, which were later found to be linked to another man, Peter Kariuki Mathii. Detectives then arrested Ouma, who led them to Hanington Kui Walubengo. Walubengo had helped Ouma connect with Mathii.
The three Wairimu, Ouma, and Walubengo were taken to Makadara Law Courts on April 28, 2025. The court allowed detectives to hold them for 21 days as they continued with investigations.
The search didn’t stop there. Detectives went on to arrest Peter Kariuki Mathii in Ruiru, who was found with Isaack Mugo Kanini inside a Toyota Voxy. Inside the vehicle, police discovered several important items, including multiple Safaricom SIM cards, a SIM registration kit, fake U.S. dollars, and various ATM cards.
Following this breakthrough, the detectives tracked down David Nganga Macharia, believed to be the mastermind behind the entire operation. He had been on the run since 2019 and was already wanted for electronic fraud and hacking financial systems.
A warrant for his arrest had been issued over six years ago at Milimani Court. He was caught in Zimmerman, and during a search of his Subaru vehicle, police found mobile phones, fake documents, and more SIM and ATM cards. At his home, even more evidence was recovered, including counterfeit money, forged national IDs, and several laptops believed to have been used for the hacking.
Mathii, Kanini, and Macharia appeared in court on May 5, 2025. The Makadara Law Courts granted a 10-day custodial order as police continue looking for more suspects. Investigators say the fraud ring was well-organized and used advanced technology, and they are working hard to bring everyone involved to justice.
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