Nairobi Man Accused of Swapping Samson Taalam's SIM in Alleged Fraud to Be Detained for 42 Days
- Brian Kiprono will remain in custody for over a month after a Nairobi court allowed the DCI more time to investigate his case
- The man is accused of swapping the SIM card of interdicted Nairobi's Central Police OCS Samson Taalam and using it in alleged fraud
- Talaam's SIM was cloned while in the custody of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA)
A man linked to the SIM swap incident involving OCS Samson Talaam will remain in custody until September 12 this year after the court denied him bail.
Source: UGC
Brian Ronoh Kiprotich, who is facing charges related to computer misuse and cybercrimes, pleaded not guilty.
According to the charge sheet seen by Tuko.co.ke, Kiprotich also faces multiple charges, including the unlawful possession of identity cards belonging to seven different individuals.
Appearing before Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi at the Milimani Law Court on 1st August 2025, the court ordered that Kiprotich be remanded at the Industrial Area Prison until 12th September 2025.
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The ruling aims to give the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) more time to probe how the OCS’s SIM card and ID both of which were in the custody of the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) ended up with the accused.
Kiprotich was arrested after the DCI received a complaint from IPOA, requesting an investigation into the alleged use of a TECNO CLA5 mobile phone.
The device, identified by a specific IMEI number and mobile number registered to Talam Samson Kiprotich, had been seized as an exhibit on 15th June 2025 for forensic analysis by IPOA.
Further, on July 4, the DCI received court instructions to file a report on the matter following a complaint from Talam Samson Kiprotich, the former Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Mr. Kiprotich alleged that his mobile phone, which had been confiscated by IPOA after his arrest, was being used to solicit money from unsuspecting members of the public.
It is suspected that the SIM card was swapped after his arrest and used for criminal activities, including impersonation and fraud.
The OCS was initially arrested on June 1 in connection with a separate case.
His mobile phone remains in IPOA custody.
The matter of Taalam's SIM card came up in his first arraignment after being arrested in connection with the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang.
His lawyers revealed to the court that the SIM card used by Taalam until his arrest had been cloned and used in different gadgets.
The interdicted officer's lawyers established that the SIM had been used in soliciting monies without the knowledge of their client.
The DCI took up the matter and initiated investigations.
After weeks of forensic analyses, the DCI presented its report before a Nairobi court on Monday, July 22, upon the arraignment of the suspect behind the swap.
During the court session, Inspector Moses Adeli from the DCI's investigations bureau disclosed that between June 16 and 17, 2025, the fraudulent SIM swap was carried out by a suspect named Brian Kiprono.
Forensic checks revealed the activation of both a new device (IMEI) and a different SIM profile (IMSI) at the swap location, confirming a change in both the gadget and SIM card.
Adeli further revealed that the SIM card had been inserted into a separate phone, which was then used for mobile communications and financial activities, including transactions on online lending platforms, all without the consent of Talaam.
How suspect avoided DCI after swapping Taalam's SIM
The consistent IMSI signal from June 16 implied the SIM had been duplicated and was being misused.
According to Adeli, at least three different phones were used within the three-day period—an apparent tactic to avoid surveillance.
The court also learned that this entire scheme unfolded while Taalam was in custody, implying that any use of his mobile phone was unauthorised and without his knowledge.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
