How Kahawa West Man Hacked And Stole Sh49M From Jambopay

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), has secured a court order allowing them to detain an IT expert for seven days as investigations continue into a cyber fraud case involving the theft of Sh49 million.

Joseph Momanyi, the suspect at the center of the probe, is being held at Muthaiga Police Station by the DCI’s Financial Investigations Unit.

He is under investigation for Computer Fraud under Section 26 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act (2018), as well as Money Laundering under Section 3 of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The inquiry—registered as ECCU 65/2024—was launched after Web Tribe Limited, a Kenya-based digital transactions platform, reported the unauthorized transfer of funds from its system.

The breach allegedly occurred between July 19 and July 23, 2024, targeting the company’s JamboPay client portal. During that period, cyber attackers illegally accessed the system and siphoned off approximately Sh49,095,968.

According to investigators, the stolen funds were funneled into multiple channels, including mobile wallets, bank accounts, and till numbers.

Momanyi was apprehended on the night of April 12 at his home in Kahawa West. A search of the premises uncovered numerous SIM cards registered under different names, multiple mobile phones, and a laptop—items believed to have been used in the operation.

The DCI believes Momanyi is part of a broader criminal network involved in high-level cyber fraud.

Encouragingly, the suspect has reportedly expressed a willingness to cooperate with authorities in identifying other members of the syndicate