The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has until July 1, 2025, to file a report in court on the alleged misuse of OCS Samson Talaam’s phone.

This follows claims by Talaam’s defence team that extortion messages were sent from the device while it was in the custody of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

Defence lawyer Dunstan Omari had told the court that several people, including lawyer Cliff Ombeta, received a message from Talaam’s phone number, allegedly requesting money.

“Your Honour, we have credible evidence that individuals, including respected lawyer Cliff Ombeta, have received messages from Talaam’s number requesting money. The phone is being used for fundraising with claims that the OCS is in trouble and needs financial help,” argued Omari.

The allegations prompted the DCI to take over investigations into suspected misconduct by IPOA.

In response, IPOA has maintained that the device was lawfully obtained and has been securely handled since.

“On the allegations regarding misuse of Chief Inspector Talaam’s telephone, the Authority explained and demonstrated in court that the phone was procedurally seized by its forensic experts and is securely held,” IPOA said in a statement.

“The Authority has also written to DCI to look into the allegations made, which have yet to be substantiated.”

The phone was confiscated from Talaam, along with its password, following the murder of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’, and was handed over to IPOA.