Eight Kenya Defence Forces officers attached to the naval base in Mombasa will know the fate of their bail application Thursday, after denying charges of trafficking 24 kilograms of methamphetamine drugs.
The soldiers, who appeared before a Mombasa Law court had denied charges of being in possession of the drugs, whose street value was estimated to run to at least Sh192 million.
The accused were arraigned before Senior Principal Magistrate Gladys Olimo on charges of trafficking narcotic drugs and conspiracy to traffic in narcotic drugs contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act. All the eight denied the allegations when the charges were read to them.
The suspects include Duke Nyamwaya Nyarige, Juma Mwinyifaki Juma, Michael Kariuki, Elijah Mbogo, James Ekiru, Abdulrehman Salad Jara, Abdirahman Abdi Kuno, and Peter Kipng’etich Tonui.
Juma Mwinyifaki Juma faces charges of trafficking in narcotic drugs, while the other seven are charged with conspiracy to traffic in narcotic drugs. They were arrested on December 11, 2025, in a coordinated operation by Anti-Narcotics Unit officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Headquarters and the Mombasa Regional Office.
The stolen consignment is suspected to have originated from the 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine worth Sh8.2 billion intercepted in October during a multi-agency sting on a stateless vessel in the Indian Ocean.
The multi-agency operation involved officers from the Kenya Navy, Kenya Coast Guard Service, the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Defense lead counsel Jared Magolo urged the court to grant his clients a bond of Sh500,000 or alternative surety, arguing that they pose no flight risk.
He told the court that the accused are family men with children who depend on them and would not abscond court proceedings.
“These are responsible members of society with families. They have children and dependents that need them. They have consistently appeared in court during the miscellaneous application proceedings and should be granted reasonable bond terms,” Magolo submitted.
However, the prosecution counsel, Brenda Oganda opposed the application, asking the court to set appropriate bond terms that are neither punitive, nor appear as a reward to the accused.
Oganda argued that the context of the case has changed now that formal charges have been preferred against the soldiers.
She further contended that there is a possibility of witness interference given the nature of the charges and the positions held by the accused.
“The bond of Sh500,000 cannot be considered appropriate given the gravity of the charges before this court. We urge the court to consider the nature of the offenses and set bond terms that reflect the seriousness of the allegations,” the prosecution submitted.
The court will deliver its ruling on the bond application tomorrow.
By Sitati Reagan
