Court Clears Extradition of Three Kenyans Wanted by US Over Alleged Multi-Million Cybercrime Scheme
Three Kenyans are set to be extradited to the United States after a Nairobi court approved an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), paving the way for them to face a string of serious cybercrime charges in an American federal court.
In a ruling delivered at the Milimani Law Courts, Principal Magistrate Paul Kiprotich Mutai endorsed warrants of arrest issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, on November 15, 2023, allowing the extradition process to proceed.
The suspects are wanted in the United States to answer charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and aiding and abetting under U.S. federal law.
The case stems from a formal extradition request submitted by the United States government on February 26, 2026, through Kenya’s Central Authority under the Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice.
After examining the request and the accompanying evidence, the Director of Public Prosecutions determined that the legal requirements for extradition had been satisfied before petitioning the court for the necessary orders.
Confirming the decision on Wednesday, the ODPP said the court had granted its application to surrender the three suspects to American authorities.
“The court has today approved an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to extradite three Kenyans to the United States of America to face criminal charges,” the ODPP said.
It added:
“The three are wanted to face charges related to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and aiding and abetting under U.S. law.”
The court further directed that the three suspects remain in custody at Industrial Area Prison pending their transfer to the United States, where they are expected to stand trial.
The ruling marks another instance of growing judicial cooperation between Kenya and the United States in tackling transnational crime, particularly cyber-enabled offences that increasingly cross international borders.
The extradition also comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns over cybercrime in Kenya.
Only days earlier, INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 identified Kenya as one of East Africa’s most targeted countries for cyberattacks, warning of a significant rise in attacks against telecommunications infrastructure, mobile money platforms and other critical digital systems.
According to the report, Kenya recorded more than 46,786 Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks during the first half of 2025, with telecommunications companies among the hardest-hit sectors.
INTERPOL also revealed that SIM swap fraud surged by 327 per cent in 2025, resulting in more than 123,000 fraudulently issued SIM cards and losses estimated at USD 3.8 million (approximately KSh491.5 million) from mobile money accounts.
The latest extradition is expected to intensify scrutiny of Kenya’s role in combating international cybercrime as authorities continue working with foreign law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cross-border digital offences.
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