In a significant crackdown on the illicit arms trade fueling violence in Kenya, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested four serving law enforcement officers.
The suspects, including an assistant superintendent of prisons, a corporal, and two police constables, are alleged to be key players in a sophisticated scheme to divert firearms and ammunition from state stores.
The arrests, executed by the Operations Support Unit (OSU), follow an extensive period of profiling, surveillance, and forensic investigation. The DCI revealed that the group’s activities have contributed to insecurity and violence in various parts of the country.
The suspects have been identified as:
- ASP Ekidor Lotira Charles (based in Turkana)
- Corporal Isaac Kipngetich (attached to Turkana County Police Headquarters)
- Police Constable Ileli Cyrus Kisamwa (an armorer at the Central Firearms Stores, Industrial Area, Nairobi)
- Police Constable Samson Muriithi Mutongu (a storeman at the Central Firearms Stores, Industrial Area, Nairobi)
According to the DCI, the operation reached a critical point when Corporal Kipngetich was caught red-handed receiving a consignment of 1,000 rounds of ammunition from Constables Kisamwa and Mutongu. The ammunition was allegedly intended for ASP Lotira.
“The postings of the officers indicated that this was a well-orchestrated scheme to have the firearms and ammunition delivered to Turkana,” the DCI stated, highlighting the deliberate abuse of their official positions.
Further searches led to the discovery of a cache of illegal items. Constable Mutongu was found in possession of 19 assorted firearm magazines, firing pins, cleaning kits, and three spent 9mm cartridges. Constable Kisamwa was arrested while in possession of a Remington Rand Model 1911 pistol and two Ceska pistol firing pins.
The bust sheds light on a potential pipeline for illicit arms, with insiders at a central storage facility allegedly supplying weapons destined for volatile regions.
Kenya grapples with a significant illicit arms problem, with independent surveys estimating over 650,000 illegal firearms in circulation, many concentrated in pastoral counties like Turkana. The key drivers for this trade include protection against banditry, cattle-raiding, organized crime, and ethnic violence.
All four suspects have been processed and are pending arraignment in court on Monday, September 29, 2025. This case marks a stern warning from the DCI that it will pursue and dismantle criminal networks operating within its own ranks.
