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| Two suspects arrested at JKIA over nationwide Mpesa thefts.Photo/Coutersy. |
NAIROBI, Kenya — Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Banking Fraud Unit have arrested two suspects linked to a nationwide wave of M‑Pesa thefts targeting mobile money operators, officials said, following a multi‑county investigation that ended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday evening.
The pair — Ali Samir Abdalla and Ajip Haisam — were apprehended just minutes after returning from Zambia, where they had allegedly gone into hiding to evade law enforcement, according to police. They are now being held at Capital Hill Police Station as investigators pursue additional suspects believed to be part of the same criminal network.
Alleged Modus Operandi and Nationwide Impact
Police linked the suspects to a series of coordinated thefts at mobile money shops, M‑Pesa agents, and wholesale outlets across several Kenyan towns, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret and Meru.
Surveillance footage obtained by investigators reportedly shows the suspects, at times in groups of three, entering M‑Pesa outlets posing as customers seeking to exchange foreign currency or conduct routine transactions. In one Meru case, a man and two women were seen on CCTV interacting with a shop attendant, who later discovered that more than KSh 40,000 had disappeared from her till following the encounter.
Victims and eyewitnesses claim the thieves used a chemical substance to disorient M‑Pesa attendants, causing them to hand over cash without physical force. One victim, Joseph M’Ibaya, described the experience as “as if they had sprayed it with something,” with attendants later realizing a significant amount of money was missing.
Though the total value of stolen funds is still under investigation, the crimes have sparked public outrage as footage of the incidents — widely shared on social media platforms such as TikTok — drew attention to the tactics used by the suspects and encouraged other victims to come forward.
DCI Response and Ongoing Investigation
The arrests followed days of intelligence‑led work by the DCI Banking Fraud Unit, which traced the suspects’ movements across counties and eventually to foreign soil. Detectives obtained CCTV footage from various theft locations and engaged with local police stations to gather statements from victims.
Investigators say they are now expanding the operation to identify and apprehend additional accomplices. Authorities are urging victims of the M‑Pesa thefts to come forward and provide witness statements to assist in building a stronger prosecution case.
“The suspects were captured on various surveillance cameras committing these thefts across multiple locations,” a law enforcement official said. “Our investigation continues, and we encourage any member of the public with information to assist us.”
Public Reaction and Broader Concerns
In Meru, one victim criticised authorities for what he described as “government negligence,” asserting that similar theft rings have operated for an extended period without sufficient police action. Local residents have echoed concerns that mobile money operators and customers are vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated social‑engineering tactics if preventative measures are not strengthened.
The arrests at JKIA mark a significant development in the crackdown on mobile money fraud in Kenya, highlighting both the challenges law enforcement faces in combating financially motivated crimes and the value of collaborative investigations that track suspects across regional and international borders.
