A Mombasa court has released seven Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers accused of trafficking 25 kilograms of methamphetamine worth Ksh192 million.
In a statement on Monday, December 22, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said Senior Resident Magistrate Gladys Ollimo ordered the 7 suspects to be released on a bond of Ksh500,00 with an alternative cash bail of the same amount.
The court also directed the KDF soldiers to provide one contact person and report weekly to the Anti-Narcotics Police Unit.
“Seven soldiers accused of trafficking methamphetamine valued at Sh192 million were on Monday released on bond after a Mombasa court declined to further extend their custodial detention.
“Senior Resident Magistrate Hon. Gladys Ollimo ordered that each suspect be released on a Sh500,000 surety bond or an alternative cash bail of a similar amount, provide one contact person, and report weekly to the Anti-Narcotics Police Unit,” the ODPP stated.
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During proceedings, the court was told that investigations are ongoing, with ODPP awaiting a government chemist’s report to determine the appropriate charges.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations prayed asked the court to extend the custodial detention of the suspects pending the outcome of the government chemist’s analysis report.
However, defence lawyers opposed any further detention, arguing that continued custody without formal charges was unconstitutional and that delays at the government chemist could not be used to deny the suspects their liberty.
In her ruling, Ollimo declined to extend the detention orders, released the suspects on bond, and directed that the matter be mentioned on January 6, 2026, for further directions as investigations continue.
The 7 suspects include Duke Nyamwaya, Juma Mwinyifaki, Michael Kariuki, Elijah Mbogo Gacog’u, James Ekiru, Abdulrehman Salad, and Abdirahman Abdi Kuno.
The soldiers were arrested on December 11 in a joint operation involving detectives from the DCI Headquarters and Mombasa Regional Headquarters.
The suspects allegedly diverted 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, packed in whitish crystalline packets, which had been seized from Iranian nationals in the Indian Ocean on October 19.
Searches conducted in the suspects’ homes and workplaces led to the recovery of additional narcotics and 11 mobile phones, including Redmi, Tecno, Itel, Samsung, Vivo, and Oppo models.
On December 12, the court ordered the suspects to be detained for 10 days to allow investigators to complete forensic analysis.
