Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on June 16, 2025.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested a man suspected of hacking into the mobile phone of former Central Police Station boss Samson Talaam and using it to defraud members of the public.
In a status report presented before the Milimani Law Courts on Tuesday, the DCI said the phone, which had been confiscated by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) as part of investigations into the murder of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang, was fraudulently accessed and used for criminal activity.
Inspector Moses Adeli told Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi that the suspect Rono Kiprotich Brian, was arrested on July 20 in Embakasi, Nairobi.
“On July 20, the investigating team comprising DCI officers arrested Rono, who is linked to a SIM card swapping syndicate. We recovered three mobile phones, 29 used and 13 unused SIM cards,” Inspector Adeli said in court.
He noted that although Talaam has been in custody, his mobile phone was used by the suspect to carry out fraudulent transactions including soliciting money from members of the public by impersonating the former OCS and claiming he was in financial distress.
Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on June 16, 2025.
The DCI officer dismissed claims that Talaam had personally requested financial assistance, clarifying that the fraudsters were exploiting his identity to con the public.
Talaam had asked the court to direct the DCI to investigate how his phone was used to solicit money from his defence lawyer, Cliff Ombeta, among others.
Inspector Adeli said investigations are ongoing to track down and prosecute other suspects believed to be working in cahoots with Rono.
Talaam and five other officers have been charged with the murder of Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody at Central Police Station on the night of June 7, 2025.
They are scheduled to appear before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibera High Court.
