Kenya, Sept. 1 -- In a startling twist to the high-profile cyber fraud case gripping Kenya, 26-year-old Seth Mwabe, the Meru University dropout accused of hacking Betika and wiring Sh11.4 million into his account over the weekend, has vehemently denied theft allegations.
During his arrest on August 30, 2025, at his Tatu City residence in Kiambu County, Mwabe proclaimed, "I assure you, I did not steal; I was merely testing software I had developed, and the money unexpectedly appeared in my account."
This Seth Mwabe Betika hack defence has left investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stunned. They uncovered a makeshift computer lab in his two-bedroom apartment, complete with advanced servers, laptops, and a money-counting machine.
The incident highlights the fine line between ethical hacking and cybercrime in Kenya's burgeoning digital economy, where self-taught tech talents like Mwabe often blur boundaries. Mwabe's backstory is one of unfulfilled promises, derailed by financial hurdles.
In 2018, Mwabe enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program at Meru University of Science and Technology, where he quickly emerged as a prodigy by winning a university hackathon that year and clinching another sponsored by a local bank in 2019.
As founder and trainer of the campus cybersecurity community, Mwabe specialised in mobile app security, API reversing, and network vulnerabilities, even maintaining a blog on ethical hacking practices. However, mounting fee arrears forced him to drop out in his second year around 2020, pushing him into freelance IT consulting.
On LinkedIn, he positioned himself as a "cyber security specialist" since 2017, claiming contracts with various entities for penetration testing. DCI's Banking Fraud Unit, however, alleges that in July 2025, Mwabe bypassed Betika's payment security using sophisticated tools like SQL injections and phishing scripts, syphoning the funds undetected until an audit flagged anomalies.
Regional Criminal Investigations Officer Abraham Mugambi led the raid, which unfolded dramatically when Mwabe initially refused entry, forcing officers to break down the door.
Inside, they seized encrypted hard drives, a safe containing cash traces, and equipment linked to multiple frauds. Mwabe, who identified himself as an "independent cybersecurity consultant," insisted his actions were legitimate software trials, not malice.
Echoing his self-taught ethos, he told detectives, "I receive consultations from various companies." Betika, a leading Kenyan betting firm licensed by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), reported the breach as a major hit to their operations, which process millions daily in mobile bets.
This Seth Mwabe Betika hack defence comes amid a 40% rise in cyber incidents targeting financial services in 2025, per the Communications Authority of Kenya, often exploiting weak APIs in gambling platforms. Public reaction has been polarised, sparking online debates about harnessing versus punishing young tech brains.
Social media users lamented, "Arresting such talents while ignoring bigger corruption is backward," with some calling for Mwabe's skills to bolster national cybersecurity rather than jail them. Critics, however, decry the risks to everyday bettors, whose data and winnings are vulnerable.
Under Kenya's Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act of 2018, Mwabe faces up to 20 years if convicted, with arraignment set for September 1, 2025, at Kiambu Law Courts. Legal experts predict prosecutors will challenge his "testing" claim as a cover for theft, citing forensic evidence of deliberate fund transfers via mobile wallets and crypto exchanges.
The case echoes past Betika scandals, like the 2022 arrest of their tech head for embezzlement, underscoring vulnerabilities in the Sh500 billion betting industry. Broader implications extend to youth unemployment and education gaps, where 35% of Kenyan graduates struggle for jobs, driving some to illicit tech paths.
Initiatives like scholarships for IT dropouts could prevent such falls, as advocated by tech advocacy groups. Mwabe's story, from hackathon hero to alleged hacker, serves as a cautionary tale on ethical boundaries in cybersecurityconsulting. .
For those following the Seth Mwabe Betika hack defence, this saga exposes Kenya's cybercrime challenges, urging stronger regulations and talent redirection to safeguard the digital betting landscape while supporting promising minds like Mwabe's.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.