Nine suspects have been arraigned in court following a major security operation that exposed an alleged syndicate involved in the illegal issuance of National Identity Cards and other sensitive government documents.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the operation, conducted by multiple agencies, targeted a network made up of insiders at the National Registration Bureau (NRB), brokers, and foreign beneficiaries.
Those charged include NRB officers Titus Muasya Nthenge, Judy Kemto, Festus Bahat Chai, Moses Mogaya, and Ruth Osebe, whose arrests came after weeks of investigations.
Also arraigned were brokers Yahya Daudi and Abdikadir Mohamed Dahir, who investigators allege played a central role in linking unqualified applicants to compromised officials within the registration system.
The DCI said the brokers acted as intermediaries, coordinating payments and facilitating the processing of fraudulent identity documents.
Two foreign nationals, Burundian citizen Mauris Havyarimana and Rwandese national Victor Kamanda, were also charged in connection with the scheme.
During a raid at a residence in Zimmerman, Nairobi, detectives recovered 19 stamps from various government institutions, three driving licences with different serial numbers allegedly belonging to Kamanda, Ugandan identity cards, a Democratic Republic of Congo voter’s card, and other items believed to have been used in the fraud.
The suspects were presented before the Kahawa Law Courts by officers from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) and all pleaded not guilty.
The court granted each accused a bond of Ksh 500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 50,000, alongside the requirement of one contact person.
However, NRB officer Judy Kemunto failed to appear in court despite earlier being released on cash bail.
Her lawyer informed the court that she was attending to a sick child. The court directed that she takes plea on January 21, 2026.
Prosecutors opposed bond for the two foreign nationals, with their applications scheduled for hearing on January 8, 2026.
Investigations are ongoing as authorities pursue additional suspects linked to the identity fraud network.