A Mombasa court has ordered the detention of seven soldiers for 10 days to allow investigators to complete forensic analysis in a Sh192 million methamphetamine trafficking case.
In a statement on Thursday, December 11, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said Senior Resident Magistrate Gladys Ollimo granted the order following an application by the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU).
The soldiers were arrested on December 11 in a joint operation involving detectives from the DCI Headquarters and Mombasa Regional Headquarters.
The suspects include: Duke Nyamwaya, Juma Mwinyifaki, Michael Kariuki, Elijah Mbogo Gacog’u, James Ekiru, Abdulrehman Salad, and Abdirahman Abdi Kuno.
The suspects are alleged to have trafficked 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, packed in whitish crystalline packets.
According to investigating officer PC Isaac Njoroge, searches of the suspects’ homes and workplaces led to the recovery of additional narcotics and 11 mobile phones, including Redmi, Tecno, Itel, Samsung Galaxy, Vivo, and Oppo models.
Ollimo further authorised forensic analysis of all recovered electronics, which are expected to reveal communication patterns and links to a wider trafficking network.
The case will be mentioned on December 22, 2025, for further direction.
This comes days after KDF dismissed claims that some of its officers stole a portion of a methamphetamine consignment seized during a major multi-agency security operation on October 25, 2025.
According to KDF, the narcotics were offloaded and transported to shore under the supervision of a joint security unit.
“On 25th October 2025, a multi-agency security team, including personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), successfully intercepted a dhow off the coast carrying 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine (crystal meth). It has been alleged that during the operation, and as the narcotics were being offloaded for transport ashore, some KDF personnel involved in the mission stole and concealed a portion of the narcotics for personal gain.
“We wish to clarify that the entire 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine offloaded ashore remains intact and is under continuous, round-the-clock protection by a dedicated multi-agency security team,” KDF stated.
