NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 7 – Eight Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers have been arraigned at the Mombasa Law Courts and charged with trafficking narcotic drugs in a case involving methamphetamine valued at more than Sh192 million, underscoring the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) firm stance against organised drug trafficking.
The accused appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Gladys Olimo, where they all denied the charges.
Those charged are Duke Nyamwaya Nyarige, Juma Mwinyifaki Juma, Michael Peter Kariuki, Elijah Mbogo, James Ekiru, Abdulrehman Salad Jara, Abdirahman Abdi Kuno and Peter Kipng’etich Tonui.
Prosecution told court the suspects were found in possession of varying quantities of methamphetamine, with individual and joint charges reflecting the scale and sophistication of the alleged operation.
Juma Mwinyifaki Juma was charged with trafficking 2,601 grams of methamphetamine valued at Sh20.8 million. Peter Kipng’etich Tonui and Mustafa Salim Johari face charges of conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs.
Duke Nyamwaya Nyarige, Dinah Moraa Obwocha and Elijah Mbogo were charged with conspiracy to traffic 14,321 grams of methamphetamine valued at Sh114.6 million.
The trio also face additional counts of trafficking 5,380 grams valued at Sh43 million and a further 8,941 grams valued at Sh71.5 million, allegedly by storing the drugs in residential premises.
James Ekiru and Abdirahman Abdi Kuno were charged with conspiracy to traffic 1,319 grams of narcotic drugs valued at Sh10.5 million and face separate counts of trafficking by storing the drugs in a house.
Michael Peter Kariuki and Abdulrehman Salad Jara were charged with conspiracy to traffic 2,535 grams of methamphetamine valued at approximately Sh20.2 million. In a strong submission reflecting the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) commitment to safeguarding public interest, Prosecution opposed the accused persons’ application for bond.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Brenda Oganda told court the proposed bond terms did not adequately reflect the gravity and seriousness of the offences.
She further told court that, given the nature of the case and the positions previously held by the accused, there was a real risk of interference with witnesses and potential compromise of the ongoing investigations.
The court will rule on the bond application on Thursday.
