Law enforcement officers in Kitui Central have detained a suspect and recovered 40 rolls of cannabis sativa following an operation conducted on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Acting on intelligence from members of the public, patrol officers moved into the Kunda Kindu area where they intercepted the individual and seized the contraband. The suspect remains in custody and is expected to be presented in court on Monday, July 21, 2025.
Officials described the seizure as part of sustained efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks that move cannabis and other narcotics through communities across the country. They urged continued cooperation from residents, noting that timely tips significantly improve interdiction success rates. Investigators are cataloguing the recovered rolls and forwarding samples for forensic analysis as part of the evidentiary chain required for prosecution.
In a related enforcement action earlier in the week, an intelligence-led, multi-agency team stopped a vehicle along the Maai Mahiu–Nairobi road in Limuru and discovered nine sacks, each weighing about 90 kilograms, of cannabis sativa concealed beneath black polythene covering. Two suspects – 37-year-old Minja Jimmy and Bernard Nyabero Nyakangi – were arrested at the scene. After initial booking at the Mutarakwa Police Post, the pair were transferred to Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters for further processing and arraignment.
Security agencies say seizures of large bulk loads such as the Limuru haul often precede the distribution of smaller, retail-level packets like the rolls recovered in Kitui. Mapping how consignments are broken down, stored, and moved between counties is central to identifying the financiers, couriers, and distributors who sustain the trade.
The National Police Service has reiterated its commitment to working closely with the public and partner government agencies to intensify operations targeting narcotics trafficking, possession, and abuse. Joint teams drawn from anti-narcotics, transnational organised crime, and local policing units are expected to maintain heightened patrols and targeted raids in identified hotspots.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspicious vehicle movements, unexplained storage of sacks or bales, and rapid cash exchanges associated with drug drops. Anonymous reporting channels remain open, and community engagement forums will be expanded in high-risk areas. Authorities say additional coordinated sweeps are planned in the coming days as the crackdown continues.
Further updates, including formal charges and court outcomes, are expected after the suspect’s Monday appearance and completion of investigative paperwork in the Kitui and Limuru cases.
