A Nairobi court has approved the extradition of three Kenyan nationals to the United States to face cybercrime-related charges, advancing a cross-border criminal case involving Kenyan and U.S. law enforcement authorities.

Principal Magistrate P.K. Mutai endorsed warrants of arrest for Francis Asanyo, Peter Omari and Elvis Obaigwa following an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). The court further ordered that the three be held at Industrial Area Prison pending completion of the extradition process.

The suspects are sought by U.S. authorities to answer charges filed before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division. The indictment includes allegations of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and aiding and abetting.

According to documents filed in the U.S. court and cited during the extradition proceedings, American prosecutors allege that the suspects participated in an international cybercrime scheme involving Business Email Compromise (BEC) and Vendor Account Compromise (VAC) fraud. Prosecutors claim the scheme targeted government agencies, educational institutions and private organisations by compromising email accounts and impersonating legitimate vendors in an effort to divert payments into accounts allegedly controlled by members of the network.

The allegations remain before the U.S. courts and have not been tested at trial.

The extradition request was presented before the Kenyan court under the legal framework governing extradition and mutual legal assistance between Kenya and the United States. Acting on behalf of the U.S. government, the ODPP argued that the offences cited in the request meet the legal threshold for extradition under Kenyan law.

During earlier court proceedings, lawyers representing the three suspects opposed the extradition application, arguing that their clients are Kenyan citizens with known places of residence and are not flight risks. The defence also urged the court to consider releasing them on bond while the extradition proceedings were ongoing.

The prosecution, however, maintained that the case involves serious transnational offences and that continued detention was necessary to facilitate the extradition process and ensure Kenya complies with its international legal obligations.

After considering the application, Principal Magistrate Mutai endorsed the warrants and directed that the suspects remain in custody at Industrial Area Prison pending their transfer to the United States.

The case underscores the growing cooperation between Kenya and the United States in combating transnational cybercrime. In recent years, authorities from both countries have worked together on investigations involving computer-related offences, online financial fraud and identity theft that extend across multiple jurisdictions.

Business Email Compromise remains one of the most common forms of cyber-enabled financial crime globally. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), such schemes typically involve criminals gaining unauthorized access to or impersonating legitimate business email accounts to deceive victims into transferring funds to fraudulent accounts.

While the Nairobi court has approved the extradition request, the ruling does not determine the suspects’ guilt or innocence. The decision allows the extradition process to proceed, after which the three will appear before a U.S. court to answer the charges against them.

Under both the Constitution of Kenya and the U.S. criminal justice system, the suspects remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.