Two men accused of running online platforms that allegedly promised candidates altered KCSE results have been freed on bond by a Nairobi Court.
David Opiyo Odhiambo and Albert Kerry Nyandianga were brought before the Chief Magistrate’s Court on January 19, 2026, following their arrest in connection with investigations into suspected cybercrime and fraud.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had asked the court to allow the suspects to be detained for seven days at Muthaiga Police Station to complete investigations.
In court papers, investigators said they were probing claims that the two were administrators of several WhatsApp and Telegram groups, collectively said to have attracted more than 42,000 members.
According to the DCI, the groups were allegedly used to mislead members of the public by claiming links with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and offering to “upgrade” KCSE grades in exchange for money.
The application, supported by an affidavit sworn by Inspector John Kariuki of the DCI’s General Investigations Unit, stated that the respondents were suspected of offences including false publication under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and obtaining money by false pretences under the Penal Code.
Investigators told the court that payments were allegedly demanded based on how high a candidate wished their grades to be altered.
Police said Nyandianga was arrested in Migingo, Kisumu County, while Odhiambo was picked up in Ongata Rongai.
Several electronic devices, including mobile phones and a laptop, were seized during the arrests.
The DCI claimed the gadgets were logged into the suspect online groups and were likely to contain data dating back to the 2024 KCSE examinations, necessitating detailed forensic analysis.
The investigators further argued that they needed time to analyse the devices, obtain pending records from Safaricom following earlier court orders on M-Pesa accounts and trace other suspects believed to be operating from Nairobi, Rongai, Kiambu and Thika.
They also raised concerns that the suspects could abscond due to their proximity to the Kenya–Tanzania border.
After considering the application, Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina declined to grant the requested custodial orders, finding that the threshold for continued detention had not been met.
The court instead granted the two suspects cash bail of Ksh70,000 each and directed them to cooperate with investigators and present themselves when required.
The case will be mentioned on February 2, 2026, for a status update on the ongoing investigations.
