Court detains man accused of using Central OCS Taalam’s phone to extort family and lawyer

A Nairobi court has allowed police to detain for seven days a man accused of using the mobile phone of Central Police Station OCS Samson Taalam to extort money from his family and lawyer.

Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Caroline Mugo granted the seven-day detention instead of the 14 days requested by the police, ruling that the application was justified.

The suspect, Kiprotich Ronoh Brian, was arraigned under a miscellaneous application in which the prosecution sought to hold him for two weeks to complete investigations.

The court was told that DCI officers are investigating offences including unauthorised interception, identity theft, and involvement in organised crime.

Police said that on June 19, 2025, the DCI received a request from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate allegations that OCS Taalam’s mobile phone—previously seized and submitted to IPOA for forensic examination—was being used to solicit money from members of the public.

The complaint originated from Taalam himself, who claimed his phone, which was supposed to be in IPOA’s custody, was being used to con his family and associates.

SIM swap

Prosecutors alleged that Taalam’s SIM card may have been swapped after his arrest and used to impersonate him and extort money, allegedly by the suspect.

On June 20, IPOA’s Senior Assistant Director of Investigations, Abdirahman Jibril, told the court that they had formally requested the DCI to investigate the phone misuse allegations.

Earlier, the magistrate had summoned Abdirahman to appear in court following allegations of misconduct in handling the phone linked to Taalam, who is currently facing murder charges in connection with the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang.

The order was issued during a heated court session, after defence lawyers Danstan Omari, Stanley Kangai, and Cliff Ombeta—representing Taalam—raised concerns over the phone’s alleged misuse while in IPOA’s custody.

Requests for money

The defence team claimed that the phone had been used to solicit money from the public, including from prominent individuals such as lawyer Cliff Ombeta, who reportedly received a message requesting Sh80,000.

"Your honour, we have credible evidence that individuals, including respected lawyer Ombeta, have received messages from Talaam's number requesting money.

"Ombeta was asked for Sh80,000 by an unidentified caller using the Taalam phone. The phone is being used for fundraising with claims that the OCS is in trouble and needs financial help," Omari told the court.

He added that the alleged fraudulent messages seem to be part of a broader scheme, pointing out that the OCS’s family members have also received alarming messages from the same phone number, which is meant to be securely held by IPOA investigators.

"This is a serious issue. IPOA commissioners are the custodians of that phone and the corresponding passwords. If that phone is being used to swindle Kenyans while under IPOA's watch, then someone must be held accountable. We are asking this court to summon the commissioners themselves," Omari urged.

Magistrate Ekhubi responded by directing Abdirahman to appear in person and explain the phone's custody and the alleged misuse.