A Nairobi court has directed an investigating officer to appear and explain how money and a personal identification number (PIN) from a confiscated mobile phone were accessed by unknown individuals, resulting in unauthorized withdrawals.
Magistrate BenMark Ekhubi issued the directive following an application by police officer Charles Lotira, who is among several accused persons charged with engaging in organized criminal activities in Turkana, including allegedly selling ammunition for financial gain.
All the accused have denied the charges. Through his lawyer, Danstan Omari, Lotira informed the court that his mobile phone had been seized by authorities during investigations and later returned.
However, he claimed that during the time it was in police custody, officers were given access to his PIN. Upon receiving the phone back, Lotira allegedly discovered that over Ksh.30,000 had been withdrawn from his M-Pesa Fuliza account without his consent.
His lawyer argued that the incident raises serious concerns about how sensitive digital information is handled by law enforcement, suggesting possible breaches in the chain of custody and lapses in mobile money security.
In response, Magistrate Ekhubi ordered the investigating officer to provide a detailed explanation of how the account was compromised, including identifying who accessed the funds and how the PIN was exposed.
Lotira is also seeking to have mobile service providers summoned to produce transaction records and clarify how the unauthorized withdrawals occurred.
