A Nigerian national, Okwudili Cletus Onuh, has been convicted and fined Ksh46.5 million in a high-profile narcotics case heard at the Kahawa Law Courts.
In a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Wednesday, September 24, the court confirmed that Onuh was sentenced on September 23, 2025, after pleading guilty to multiple counts of drug trafficking under Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.
The change of plea came after the prosecution, led by Principal Prosecution Counsel James Machirah and Prosecution Counsel Gedion Kiprono, presented overwhelming evidence before Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Richard Koech. Faced with the evidence, Onuh took responsibility for the charges.
He was fined Ksh46,500,000 for counts 1, 3, and 4, with a default sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on each count.
The sentences are to run concurrently, factoring in the three years he has already served in remand. The ruling followed extensive submissions from both the prosecution and defence during sentencing.
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The case against a co-accused, Hamid Annet Njoki Kaur, will proceed to a hearing on September 29, 2025.
In March this year, in another major case involving Nigerian nationals, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dismissed reports of a large-scale methamphetamine production lab in Namanga near the Kenya-Tanzania border.
The DCI clarified that while the lab had been in the process of being set up by cartels with Mexican and Nigerian links, the operation never materialised as six suspects were arrested in 2024, including a Mexican, two Nigerian brothers, and three Kenyans.
Those arrested include Mexican Alvarado Israel Vera, two Nigerian nationals Agwu Ojukwu and MBA, Agwu Ogba, and three Kenyans; Betty Muchemi, Caroline Wambui Muchira and Francis Maina Gachau.
“Based on the facts, we clarify that the drug cartel did not succeed in operationalizing their illegal activities in the country and that no member or members of the criminal ring have been deported from the country for trial elsewhere,” DCI had assured.
