Seth Mwabe: The Boy Who Hacked a Betting Company and Laundered KSh11.4 Million

Seth Mwabe Okwanyo’s story is one of talent, ambition, and controversy. Once a promising IT student with skills in cybersecurity, he later became a key suspect in one of Kenya’s most talked-about cybercrime cases involving the loss of KSh11.4 million from a betting company and a microfinance institution.

The case came to light in 2025 when a betting company reported suspicious financial transactions in its system. Investigators discovered that 38 fraudulent transactions had been processed, leading to the loss of KSh11.4 million.

What puzzled detectives was how the money disappeared without triggering alarms in the company’s internal systems. The transactions were successful on the recipients’ side, but they did not appear in the company’s main records, making the theft difficult to detect.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the system had been bypassed using sophisticated methods, allowing the suspect to access the payment platform quietly and move funds without leaving obvious traces.

During forensic investigations, detectives found that critical system logs and database records had been deleted. This suggested a deliberate attempt to erase digital footprints.

Further analysis revealed that an unauthorized program had been secretly installed in the system. Investigators believe the software allowed Seth to enter the system, execute transactions, and route the stolen money through multiple accounts to confuse investigators and hide the trail.

Who Is Seth Mwabe?

Seth Mwabe is a 26-year-old IT dropout from Meru University who described himself in court as a cybersecurity engineer and consultant. He claimed to specialize in identifying weaknesses in computer systems and helping organizations improve their security.

However, investigators believe those skills were allegedly misused to carry out cyber fraud.

First Arrest and Apartment Raid

Seth’s troubles with the law began on August 30, 2025, when detectives raided his apartment in Tatu City, Kiambu County. The raid followed a complaint from a betting company that had lost millions of shillings through suspicious transactions.

Inside the apartment, officers found what they described as a fully equipped IT setup, including high-performance computers, servers, routers, customized software, a money-counting machine, and other equipment believed to support large-scale cyber operations.

Investigators also revealed that the company’s payment system had been bypassed, with funds transferred through the Pesa Link platform.

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Court Drama and Release

On September 3, 2025, a court ruled that detectives had not provided enough evidence to detain Seth and released him on a KSh1 million bond or KSh500,000 cash bail. His electronic devices were ordered to be returned.

Later, he was rearrested after new findings linked him to another cybercrime case involving a microfinance institution that had lost KSh11.4 million through a similar method.