Eight Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers have been arraigned at the Mombasa Law Courts and charged with trafficking narcotic drugs in a case involving methamphetamine valued at more than Sh192 million.
The suspects appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Gladys Olimo, where they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Those charged are Duke Nyamwaya Nyarige, Juma Mwinyifaki Juma, Michael Peter Kariuki, Elijah Mbogo, James Ekiru, Abdulrehman Salad Jara, Abdirahman Abdi Kuno and Peter Kipng’etich Tonui.
The prosecution told the court that the accused were found in possession of varying quantities of methamphetamine, with both individual and joint charges reflecting the scale and sophistication of the alleged trafficking operation.
Juma Mwinyifaki Juma was charged with trafficking 2,601 grams of methamphetamine valued at Sh20.8 million. Peter Kipng’etich Tonui and Mustafa Salim Johari were charged with conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs.
Duke Nyamwaya Nyarige, Dinah Moraa Obwocha and Elijah Mbogo face charges of conspiring to traffic 14,321 grams of methamphetamine valued at Sh114.6 million.
The trio also face additional counts of trafficking 5,380 grams worth Sh43 million and a further 8,941 grams valued at Sh71.5 million, allegedly by storing the drugs in residential premises.
James Ekiru and Abdirahman Abdi Kuno were charged with conspiracy to traffic 1,319 grams of narcotic drugs valued at Sh10.5 million and face separate counts of trafficking by storing the drugs in a house.
Michael Peter Kariuki and Abdulrehman Salad Jara were charged with conspiracy to traffic 2,535 grams of methamphetamine valued at approximately Sh20.2 million.
In submissions opposing the accused persons’ application for bond, the prosecution said the proposed terms did not reflect the gravity of the offences.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Brenda Oganda told the court that, given the seriousness of the case and the positions previously held by the accused, there was a high risk of interference with witnesses and possible compromise of ongoing investigations.
