Police arrest suspect with Sh13 million bhang destined for Nairobi

Police in Keiyo South have arrested a 33-year-old man found transporting seven bags of bhang valued at over Sh13 million.

The suspect was intercepted along the Eldoret–Ravine road at Kamwosor while driving to Nairobi from Busia.

Keiyo South police boss Laura David said all seats in the car had been removed except that of the driver to create space for the drugs.

“We had information about the suspicious vehicle and quickly laid a roadblock. The National Police Service is alert everywhere, and no area will be used as a transit route for criminal activities,” Laura said.

The suspect has been handed over to the Anti-Narcotics Unit for processing and will be charged at a court in Iten town.

The arrest comes as counties in the North Rift step up crackdowns on illicit alcohol and drugs.

In neighboring Uasin Gishu county, over 130 people have been arrested in the past two weeks, most of them linked to illicit alcohol, while another 10 were tied to second-generation alcohol and bhang.

Uasin Gishu county commissioner Edisson Nyale and county police commander Benjamin Mwanthi said enforcement is being intensified, particularly around colleges.

They warned that bar operators selling substances other than displayed alcohol risk losing their licenses.

Mwanthi said key illicit alcohol brewers have already been charged in court.

President William Ruto recently declared the drug crisis a “national development and security emergency,” affecting over 4.7 million Kenyans.

He proposed the death penalty for hard drug traffickers and called for stricter laws, emphasizing collective action by families and communities. The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse has pledged support the crackdown.

Nyale confirmed that bars operating near schools, hospitals, and colleges will be shut down immediately.

“We will not relent in the crackdown, and officers across all sub-counties are fully mobilized,” said Mwanthi.