Job Seeker, 22, 'Hacks' Into MP's Bank Account, Steals Sh133,000

During a court hearing on Wednesday, Matungulu MP Stephen Mule shared his shock and fear about cybercrime hackers who are draining the bank accounts of innocent citizens.

"Nobody is safe in this country including investors and multinational companies as hackers with immense skills in manipulating people's bank accounts are on the loose and withdrawing huge sums of money from the accounts without their knowledge," Mule told Milimani magistrate Gilbert Shikwe.

Job seeker Boniface Kipng'etich Kirui stands accused of stealing over Sh133,000 from Mule's bank accounts after illegally obtaining his personal information. Mule testified against Kirui, saying that hackers accessed his personal information and opened electronic bank accounts, took out loans, and left him unaware of the situation. He said that his identity card number was also illegally obtained from information given at a health centre administering COVID-19 vaccinations.

Apart from his M-Pesa account, the hackers managed to hack into several other accounts belonging to the lawmaker including Timiza, Mshwari, Vooma app, Kenya Commercial Bank, KCB M-Pesa, Absa, and Co-operative Bank. Mule regretted that even educated individuals are succumbing to criminal activities due to a lack of employment opportunities. According to the lawmaker's testimony, the accused individuals have disclosed to the DCI's Cyber Crime Unit how the crime was orchestrated.

According to Mule, there were no M-Pesa or bank transactions on which Kirui's name appeared. However, Mule conceded to the electronic fabrication of his name by the hackers to open bank accounts. The suspects proceeded to withdraw from these accounts as though they were Mule. Kirui has denied any involvement in the crime and will remain remanded in prison until the case is presented for further hearing on September 27, 2023.