Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a 26-year-old man accused of orchestrating a daring cyber heist that saw a major betting firm lose Sh11.4 million.
The suspect, identified as Seth Mwabe, a second-year dropout from Meru University, was arrested on Saturday at Tatu City in Kiambu County after weeks of surveillance by the Banking Fraud Unit.
According to Dr. Abraham Mugambi, the Regional Criminal Investigations Officer (RCIO) – Central Region, the matter was first reported in July this year after a payment service provider complained of losing Sh11.4 million through fraudulent transactions.
“Investigations commenced and a DCI team of experts established the fraud was executed by bypassing the service provider’s payment systems, eventually defrauding the complainant of the money,” Dr. Mugambi said.
During the raid, detectives discovered that Mwabe had set up a fully-fledged computer laboratory inside his office, equipped with high-end machines, a money-counting device, and a safe. These were carted away as exhibits for further analysis.
Mwabe, who refers to himself as an “independent cyber security consultant,” declined to disclose the companies or clients he was allegedly working for at the time of his arrest.
Investigators said the suspect had previously locked himself inside his office when officers arrived, forcing detectives to break down the door before arresting him.
The young man is no stranger to Kenya’s tech scene. In 2019, while still at Meru University, he won a national hacking competition sponsored by I&M Bank—a victory that was celebrated by the university at the time. Together with fellow tech enthusiast Shadrack Kube, Mwabe also presented at the Africa Hackon Conference (#AHCon2019) on “Riding on Android OS Design to Bypass Obfuscation”—a method investigators now suspect was adapted in the alleged betting site breach.
Despite dropping out of university in his second year, Mwabe believed he had already acquired enough skills to thrive in the cyber world. His reputation grew, but his recent arrest has cast a shadow over his exploits.
The DCI says it is working with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to press multiple charges against him under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, while also focusing on recovering assets believed to be proceeds of crime.
Mwabe remains in custody as investigations continue.
