NAIROBI — A Nairobi court has ordered a pre-bail report in the case of a man accused of computer fraud involving the phone of a former police commander linked to a high-profile murder investigation.
The accused, Brian Rono, is facing charges of tampering with the mobile phone of former Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam. Talaam is himself a suspect in the killing of blogger Albert Ojwang.
On Tuesday, Senior Principal Magistrate Carolyne Mugo at the Milimani Law Courts agreed to the prosecution’s request for three days to prepare the report before considering Rono’s bail application.
Rono told the court he was ready to obey all court dates if freed on bond. “Your Honour, I am asthmatic and I am requesting to be taken to a medical facility for a check-up,” he said. He also claimed police took his phone during his arrest.
The prosecution said the issue of the seized phones would be addressed at the next hearing. Lawyer Danstan Omari, acting for Talaam, supported the short delay, saying it was “reasonable in the circumstances.”
Magistrate Mugo ordered the investigating officer to appear in court on 19 August to explain the phone seizure. She also directed that Rono be escorted to hospital for medical examination.
Investigators allege Rono hacked Talaam’s phone, one of several devices under forensic review by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). The alleged tampering is said to have occurred while the phone was part of the murder probe’s evidence trail.
The case has drawn attention because it sits at the intersection of two serious matters: a murder investigation and an alleged attempt to interfere with digital evidence. Both sides will return to court next week, as the questions over technology, policing, and justice remain unresolved.
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