Court cancels bond for man facing cybercrime charges linked to Ksh100M losses | #cybercrime | #infosec

A Milimani Court has cancelled a bond granted to Albert Komen Kipkechem, alias Jonathan Kiptum Barmasai, who was charged with computer misuse and cybercrime and computer fraud.

The accused was earlier this year charged in two different cases where he is implicated in a series of cyber-attacks resulting in massive financial losses to several institutions, totalling approximately Ksh100 million.

Komen has been arraigned before Milimani Principal Magistrate Theresa Nyangena on Thursday, October 1, 2026, after he was arrested in Kericho through a warrant of arrest against him.

The prosecution requested Magistrate Nyangena to detain Komen, citing his failure to attend court after skipping both courts several times when he was granted bond.

However, Komen’s lawyer urged the court to reinstate the cancelled bond terms, arguing that his client has been unwell, leading to him failing to attend the court proceedings.

Magistrate Nyangena declined to reinstate the bond terms and ordered he be detained until November 5, 2026, when he will be allowed to explain to court why he failed to attend court.

“Bond reinstatement declined; the accused will remain in custody until November 5, 2026, when he will explain why he absconded from court,” Magistrate Nyangena ruled.

The state, through a sworn affidavit by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer Andrew Ngowa, had earlier opposed his release on bail and bond.

Officer Ngowa argued that although the accused is a Kenyan citizen, he is also a holder of a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) passport, making him a significant flight risk.

Notably, the officer noted that the accused possesses the technical expertise to remotely access, encrypt, or delete digital footprints and evidence crucial to the prosecution’s case if allowed to access telecommunication devices outside custody.

“I believe that these are compelling reasons in the interest of justice that the accused person be denied bail and bond pending the hearing and determination of this case,” Officer Ngowa states in the affidavit.