Nine suspects, including officers from the National Registration Bureau (NRB), brokers and foreign nationals, have been arraigned in court over allegedly involving themselves in an elaborate scheme involving the unlawful issuance of National Identity Cards and other vital government documents.
Following weeks of investigations into what the authorities termed as a well-coordinated identity fraud network, the suspects were presented before the Kahawa Law Courts by detectives from the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU).
The suspects pleaded not guilty and the court granted each of them a bond of Ksh 500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 50,000, with one contact person required.
Those charged include five NRB officers, Titus Muasya Nthenge, Judy Kemto, Festus Bahat Chai, Moses Mogaya and Ruth Osebe. They were arrested alongside two brokers, Yahya Daudi and Abdikadir Mohamed Dahir, who allegedly acted as intermediaries in securing the fraudulent acquisition of identity cards for unqualified applicants.
Two foreign nationals, Burundian Mauris Havyarimana and Rwandese Victor Kamanda, were also charged in the case.
During a raid conducted in Zimmerman, Nairobi, the detectives recovered 19 stamps from various government agencies, three driving licences, each bearing a different serial number but linked to one suspect, Ugandan ID cards, a Democratic Republic of Congo voter’s card and several other incriminating items believed to have been used in the illegal operation.
The recovered items points to a sophisticated operation put in place to bypass the country’s identification safeguards, raising concerns about the national security and cross-border crime.
One of the accused, Judy Kemunto, who had earlier been released on cash bail, did not avail herself in court, with her lawyer citing that her child was unwell. The court gave orders that she plead to the charges on January 21, 2026.
Meanwhile, the prosecution was against the release on bond of the two foreign nationals, arguing they posed a flight risk. Their bond application will be heard on January 21, 2026.
The police say investigations are still underway to have all the suspects involved in this fraudulent scheme arrested and be brought to book.
“Investigations are ongoing to apprehend and bring to book more suspects involved in this fraudulent scheme”, read the DCI statement on X.
The operation however highlights the DCI’s commitment to ensuring that all networks engaged in identity fraud are dismantled and that the integrity of Kenya’s national identification system is safeguarded.
