Equity Bank Employee Charged Over Alleged System Profile Duplication

Ian Muhia Maina, an employee of Equity Bank Limited, appeared before Milimani Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara and was charged with three offences relating to unauthorised use of the bank’s computer system.

The counts include unauthorised access to a computer system under Section 14(1) of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, attempted stealing by servant under Section 281 read with Section 389 of the Penal Code, and conspiracy to commit a felony under Section 393 of the Penal Code.

Prosecutors allege that Maina duplicated two Finacle user profiles, identified as VM53601 and BC23924, on dates ranging from May 2026 to October 21, 2026, at an unspecified location in Kenya, and that he acted together with other individuals who have not yet been presented before the court.

The charge sheet states that the duplication was carried out “with intent to commit a further offence, namely theft,” and that the alleged unauthorised access was intended to facilitate that theft.

Maina denied all three charges and entered a plea of not guilty when the magistrate read the allegations.

He was released on a cash bail of KSh200,000 or an alternative bond of KSh600,000, with a direction to appear for a pre-trial hearing after fourteen days.

Finacle is a banking software platform used by financial institutions to manage customer accounts and transactions, and user profiles on the system determine the permissions granted to individual users.