NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 3 — Four men have been charged afresh in connection with the fraudulent replacement of a Safaricom SIM card belonging to former Central Police OCS Samson Talaam.The accused — Brian Ronoh Kiprotich, Amos Nzomo Kimanzi, James Mutemi Munyithya, and Dennis Masavi Musimi — now face 12 charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, computer fraud, identity theft, and unlawful possession and use of multiple national identity cards.According to the charge sheet, the four conspired between June 16 and 19, 2025, to illegally replace Talam’s SIM card and later used it to solicit money from unsuspecting members of the public.“The four, on diverse dates between June 16 and 19, with others not before court, conspired to commit a felony, namely computer fraud, whereby you fraudulently or dishonestly replaced SIM card no. 0722919880 belonging to Talaam Samson Kiprotich and unlawfully solicited money from members of the public for your own gain,” the charge sheet readsProsecutors allege that Kiprotich went on to access the officer’s M-Pesa account, withdrawing funds using confidential PINs.The court further heard that Kiprotich was arrested in Embakasi Pipeline on July 20, 2025, in possession of at least seven identity cards belonging to different individuals, among them Elisha Siele, Robert Mwinzi Mulango, Stephen Wambua Mutheki, Nzuva Masila, Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono, Nicholas Ouma Ouma, and Patrick Agesa Muhonja.Separately, Munyithya was accused of unlawfully using Kimanzi’s identity card to register a mobile line and activate a handset linked to the alleged fraud scheme.During the bail hearing, lawyer Danstan Omari, appearing for Talam, urged the court to revoke the earlier bond terms granted by Magistrate Dolphina Alego, warning that releasing the suspects would pose a danger to the public.“This is the first time an exhibit in the hands of IPOA has been accessed in a manner we cannot comprehend,” Omari told the court. “If these accused are released, many Kenyans are likely to suffer. Our monies are not safe with such people roaming free.”He further called for a pre-bail report, citing the seriousness of the charges and ongoing police efforts to track additional suspects.Defense lawyers opposed the request, arguing that bail is a constitutional right and that no compelling reasons had been presented to warrant its denial.“The right to bail is not absolute, but in this case, no justification has been given to restrict it,” counsel for the accused submitted, urging the court to maintain the current bond terms.The magistrate directed that the bail issue be revisited once the pre-bail report is filed.The case has been adjourned to to September 18, 2025 for pre-trial directions.