A Nairobi court has detained a key suspect for seven days at Muthaiga Police Station to allow police to conclude investigations into the high level cyber fraud that led to the theft of over Sh 49 million from JamboPay accounts.
Milimani Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi granted the application filed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to detain Joseph Momanyi, citing the complex nature of the case and his alleged involvement in a wider syndicate suspected of computer fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The application filed by lead investigating officer IP Nickson Ngigi, states that Momanyi was arrested on the night of April 12 in Kahawa West. During the arrest, police recovered several mobile phones, a laptop, and numerous SIM cards registered under various names, tools believed to have been used to execute the elaborate digital heist.
According to the miscellaneous application produced in court, the investigation began following a report from Web Tribe Ltd, the company behind JamboPay, which alleged that between July 19 and July 23, 2024, unknown persons breached its client portal.
The court heard that the attackers reportedly gained unauthorized access using legitimate customer profiles, including those belonging to Korapay, Fincra, and JamboPay and manipulated the system to disable transaction notifications before siphoning over Sh49 million into various M-Pesa wallets, bank accounts, and Till numbers.
Police allege that Momanyi played an instrumental role in the fraud by facilitating creation and acquisition of the accounts used in the transactions. He is further accused of employing deliberate evasion tactics, such as using phone numbers registered to third parties and communicating exclusively through WhatsApp calls.
While the suspect has expressed willingness to assist investigators in identifying his accomplices, police told the court that they need more time to conduct a digital forensic analysis of the recovered devices, identify the owners of the SIM cards, and confirm the suspect’s identity through the National Registration Bureau, as he was not found in possession of a national ID.
Authorities also raised concerns for Momanyi’s safety, arguing that his cooperation could place him at risk from other members of the syndicate who remain at large
