Three Kenya Airways employees have been sentenced to 25 years in prison each for trafficking heroin valued at more than Ksh60 million.
According to a statement released on Saturday, November 22, by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court handed down the sentences to Lennox Chengek Chestit, a cabin crew member; Kenneth Sinzore Isundu, a ground staffer; and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno, also a cabin crew member.
In addition to the custodial sentences, each convict was ordered to pay substantial fines ranging between Ksh88 million and Ksh90 million. Should they fail to pay the fines, they will serve an additional one-year sentence, to run concurrently with their main sentences.
The convictions arose from two separate counts of trafficking in narcotic drugs. In the first count, Chestit and Isundu were found guilty of trafficking 9,845.70 grams of heroin valued at Ksh29,537,100. In the second count, Otieno and Isundu were convicted of trafficking 20 kilograms of heroin worth Ksh60 million.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku directed that Isundu's sentences run concurrently, given his involvement in both counts.
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The magistrate dismissed the convicts' appeals for non-custodial sentences, citing strict legal provisions governing drug-related offences.
"All three asked the court for a non-custodial sentence, but the court is bound by the Community Service Orders Act. Drug trafficking offences do not fit the parameters for non-custodial sentencing," Magistrate Thuku ruled.
The court further expressed concern over the reputational damage the convicts' actions could inflict on Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority.
"To see employees of Kenya Airways themselves involved in drug trafficking is more damaging than any of them possibly imagined," the magistrate noted.
DPP Renson Ingonga praised the judgment as a strong demonstration of the ODPP's commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks, particularly those operating within critical national institutions.
"This verdict sends a clear message that no individual or institution is beyond the reach of the law," the DPP stated. "The ODPP will continue to work tirelessly to protect Kenya's borders, safeguard public institutions, and ensure that those who undermine national security face the full force of justice."
In another drug case, the DPP on October 27 took decisive legal action against six Iranian nationals accused of trafficking narcotic drugs valued at approximately Sh8 billion.
The six suspects, Jasem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Imran Baloch, Hassan Baloch, Rahim Baksh, and Imtiyaz Daryayi, were arraigned before the Shanzu Law Courts following their arrest on October 24, 2025, at Kilindini Port.
The arrests followed a multi-agency operation that resulted in the seizure of 769 packages of crystalline substances suspected to be synthetic narcotic drugs, weighing 1,035.986 kilograms.
The operation was initiated after the Kenya Navy shared intelligence on a suspicious dark vessel operating in the Indian Ocean without proper identification.
The DPP was expected to apply for the suspects' continued detention for 30 days to allow investigators to complete inquiries into the alleged offences under Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 1994.
