A 42-year-old man is in custody at Juja Police Station after detectives intercepted a vehicle carrying a loaded military-grade rifle, ammunition, and a collection of suspicious items along Kenyatta Road in Juja Sub-County, Kiambu County, on Monday, May 25, 2026.
The arrest was made by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) during a routine patrol operation approximately one kilometre west of Muigai Inn Police Post. The officers flagged down a green Nissan X-Trail, registration number KDC 630J, after finding the vehicle and its movements suspicious. The driver and vehicle were escorted to the nearest police post for a thorough search.
What they found inside raised immediate alarm. Hidden beneath the driver’s seat was an AK-47 rifle loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one additional round already chambered — ready to fire. Three more rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were found beside the driver’s seat.
But the weapons were not the only cause for concern. Officers also recovered two daggers, 56 nylon cable ties, pieces of adhesive tape, assorted sacks, tying ropes, and a bunch of keys — all of which were seized as exhibits and are now central to the ongoing investigation.
The suspect, identified as John Muiruri, a 42-year-old male, was placed under arrest and transported alongside the detained vehicle to Juja Police Station, where he remains in custody as investigators work to establish the origin of the firearm and the intended use of the recovered items.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether additional suspects are being sought in connection with the incident, but the combination of a loaded military-grade weapon with restraint tools and bladed weapons has raised serious questions about what may have been planned.
The Juja arrest is the latest in a string of illegal firearms seizures that have kept security agencies on high alert across the country in recent weeks. On May 22, the DCI reported the arrest of a man who had allegedly stolen a loaded police rifle from officers at Kitale Police Station. Earlier in the month, police intercepted a Lamu-bound bus along the Thika-Garissa Highway carrying over 100 rounds of mixed ammunition, two empty AK-47 magazines, and two machetes.
The pattern of incidents underscores the growing threat of illegal weapons circulating within Kenya, prompting increased vigilance from security agencies as investigations into the Juja case continue.
