NAIROBI, Kenya — A shocking forensic report presented before Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi has exposed a sophisticated fraud scheme involving the cloning of the SIM card belonging to former OCS Central Police Station, Samson Kiprotich Taalam, while he was in lawful custody.
Inspector Moses Adeli, who tabled the report, revealed that the fraudulent SIM swap occurred between June 16 and June 17, 2025. The prime suspect in the case has been identified as Rono Kiprotich Brian.
Forensic analysis conclusively demonstrated that a new device (IMEI) and a different SIM identity (IMSI) were activated from the same location where the SIM replacement took place, unequivocally confirming both a SIM swap and a device change.
Further investigations conducted between June 17 and 19, 2025, established that the compromised SIM card was subsequently inserted into another device. This device was then extensively used to make calls and conduct transactions on various mobile money platforms, including online lending applications.
Notably, the IMSI detected on June 16 remained consistent, strongly indicating that the SIM had been cloned and was under unauthorized use. Inspector Adeli informed the court that at least three different devices were utilized within this three-day window, a tactic believed to be aimed at evading detection by authorities.
Crucially, the court heard that all these illicit activities transpired while OCS Taalam was in lawful custody. This fact definitively establishes that any communications or financial transactions linked to his mobile number during that period were the work of third parties, not Taalam himself.
The cloned SIM card is also a significant element in an ongoing probe by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) concerning the death of teacher Albert Ojwang’.
The suspect, Rono Kiprotich Brian, was apprehended on July 20 in Embakasi Pipeline. During his arrest, police recovered three mobile phones, 29 used SIM cards, and 13 unused SIM cards.
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These recovered items are yet to undergo full forensic analysis. Authorities suspect Rono may have been operating with accomplices who remain at large.
On Monday, Rono was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, where the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) sought a 14-day custodial order to complete their comprehensive probe.
Following the presentation of the damning forensic report, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) applied for the closure of the inquiry file, paving the way for the DCI to formally present a case against the suspect.
Magistrate Ekhubi has since directed that former OCS Taalam now record a statement as the complainant in this complex fraud matter.
