On Monday, one Boniface Kirui appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina, where he was charged with eight counts of unauthorised interference with computer data, stealing, and identity theft.

The charges were in connection with the theft of over Sh600,000 from two Kenyan Members of Parliament through a sim card swap.

According to the prosecution, on April 12, 2023, at 5:17 p.m. at an unknown place, Kirui intentionally and without authority changed the Safaricom details of Marakwet West MP Timothy Toroitich by causing unauthorised interference to the Safaricom computer data of the legislator.

He is alleged to have stolen Sh547, 567 from Toroitich's Kenya Commercial bank account held in the MP's name.

The court documents further stated that on the same night, Toroitich's Safaricom line suddenly lost network.

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He contacted Safaricom customer care and was informed that his line had been swapped.

The MP later discovered that someone had accessed his account and transferred a sum of KSh 547,567 to another bank account and various Safaricom numbers.

The matter was reported to Parliament Police Station for investigation.

Kirui was separately charged with stealing Sh133,785 from Matungulu Member of Parliament Stephen Mule.

The prosecution alleges that on diverse dates between March 24 and March 26, 2023, at an unknown place and time within the Republic of Kenya, Kirui jointly with others not before the court stole Sh133,785 from the MP's M-Pesa account, Timiza Account, Mshwari account, Vooma App, KCB M-pesa account, and KCB Bank account.

He then proceeded to borrow money from ABSA, Timiza loan app, Mshwari, and the Vooma App.

Kirui pleaded not guilty to all counts, and the matter will be mentioned at a later date for the court to rule on bond terms.

The case highlights the growing problem of SIM card fraud in Kenya, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated methods to gain access to people's phones and steal their personal information.

It also serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting our personal data in an age when cybercrime is becoming increasingly prevalent.