Eight members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) are in custody in Mombasa, facing investigation over their alleged involvement in the diversion of methamphetamine from a major drug haul in the Indian Ocean. 

The soldiers, all from the Kenya Navy, are suspected of links to 24 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, which are believed to have been siphoned from a consignment worth Sh8.2 billion, intercepted in October. The investigation centres on the dhow MV Mashallah, a stateless vessel stopped 630 kilometres off the Kenyan coast. 

Authorities discovered over a tonne of methamphetamine hidden in packages labelled as coffee. Six Iranian nationals crewing the vessel remain in custody as the investigation continues.

On Thursday, Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Gladys Olimo granted permission for detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) to extend the detention of the soldiers for a further ten days. The decision was made after the prosecution argued that releasing the suspects could compromise the investigation. 

Investigators have already seized eleven mobile phones and SIM cards from the soldiers’ homes and workplaces, saying that forensic analysis of the devices is crucial to uncovering the full extent of the suspected network. Searches at the soldiers’ residences reportedly uncovered packages of crystalline substances resembling narcotics. 

According to affidavits, Duke Nyamwaya was found with eleven packages, Juma Mwinyifaki with two, Michael Kariuki with five, and Elijah Mbogo with one. No drugs were found at the homes of James Ekiru and Abdirahman Abdi, but investigators claim intelligence and communication data suggest their involvement as facilitators or coordinators within the operation.

The ANU is pursuing charges under Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act of 1994. Investigators believe the soldiers may be part of a larger trafficking network, with other accomplices still at large. Authorities also express concerns that witnesses may be vulnerable to intimidation, which further justifies the continued detention of the suspects.

The KDF has confirmed that some of its personnel are under investigation, but emphasised that the full 1,024 kilogrammes of methamphetamine seized from the dhow remain intact and are under multi-agency protection. The military has suggested that if any theft occurred, it may have happened at sea before the consignment was handed over to civilian authorities.

The soldiers were initially held by military police in late November before being transferred to the custody of the ANU. Their arrest followed intelligence linking them to a woman in Mombasa who is suspected of involvement in the drug trade, with packaging similar to that recovered from the dhow found in her possession.

Kenya has a history of significant narcotics seizures, including a Sh6 billion cocaine haul in 2006 and a Sh1.3 billion heroin interception in 2014.