University Student Linked to Sh11m Betting Firm Scam Granted Bail

Suspect Seth Okwanyo Mwabe before Milimani law courts September 3,2025

A Nairobi court has released a university student accused of illegally transferring over Sh11 million from a Nairobi-based betting firm on a Sh1 million cash bond, or alternatively, a Sh500,000 cashbail, conditional upon availing three contact persons.

Seth Mwabe Okwanyo, a second-year student, is also required to report to the investigating officer once a week and refrain from interfering with investigations.

The matter came before Senior Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi at Milimani Law Courts, with police seeking to keep Okwanyo in custody to allow investigators to obtain further electronic evidence and complete the probe.

The prosecution had requested a 20-day detention at Capitol Hill Police Station, arguing that this period was necessary to finalize investigations into the alleged cyber theft.

However, the court dismissed the application, noting that Okwanyo had no control over some of the electronic evidence the investigators sought to rely on.

Okwanyo was arrested on August 30 at his Tatu City apartment over allegations of unauthorized access and theft, contrary to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and the Penal Code.

Police said 38 fraudulent transactions totaling Sh11,410,165 were made via the PesaLink platform, targeting a Diamond Trust Bank account.

Investigators alleged that Okwanyo, who described himself as a cybersecurity consultant, exploited his knowledge in penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to facilitate the scheme.

His lawyer opposed the detention, arguing that investigators already had the seized devices and that requests to access data from Telegram and Starlink involved third parties beyond his client’s control.

“There isn’t a single line in the application suggesting my client would obstruct investigations,” the lawyer told the court, insisting that Okwanyo was neither a flight risk nor likely to interfere with the ongoing probe.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had supported the police request, citing the need to prevent interference with witnesses and allow investigators to finalize evidence collection.