A Nairobi court has approved the extradition of three Kenyan men to the United States to face charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and aggravated identity theft.
Principal Magistrate Paul Kiprotich Mutai delivered the ruling at Milimani Law Courts, finding that legal requirements for the extradition of Francis Asanyo, Peter Omari and Elvis Obaigwa had been met. The men are wanted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, under warrants originally issued in November 2023.
U.S. investigators allege the three operated a Business Email Compromise scheme that targeted organizations in the United States, a form of cybercrime in which attackers impersonate executives or vendors to trick companies into wiring funds to fraudulent accounts.
The suspects were arrested in Kenya following a joint operation involving the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Interpol and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The court ordered the men held at Industrial Area Prison pending their transfer to the United States.
Kenyan authorities have increasingly cooperated with international partners on cybercrime cases in recent years, as cross-border online fraud schemes targeting U.S. and European firms have drawn scrutiny from law enforcement agencies on both sides.
Lawyers for the three men have not publicly confirmed whether they intend to appeal the extradition ruling. Under Kenyan law, extradition orders can be challenged before the High Court within a specified window before a transfer is carried out.
The case is among several similar extradition proceedings involving Kenyan nationals accused of cybercrime that have moved through Nairobi courts this year.
