Kenyan authorities have destroyed more than one tonne of methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion in Mombasa, as the government announced tougher measures targeting drug traffickers, their assets and public officials accused of aiding criminal networks.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Thursday witnessed the destruction of the narcotics at Bamburi Cement Factory alongside senior security and law enforcement officials. The exercise was conducted after completion of the required legal procedures.
The 1,036-kilogramme consignment was seized in October 2025 during a multi-agency maritime operation in the Indian Ocean after security officers intercepted a vessel suspected of transporting the drugs off the Kenyan coast.
Murkomen said the destruction marked part of an intensified crackdown on drug trafficking and illicit alcohol, with security agencies increasingly focusing on major traffickers, financiers and the networks that enable the illegal trade.
He warned that authorities would also pursue property and wealth linked to narcotics trafficking instead of limiting enforcement to seizures and arrests.
“All assets used in or acquired through drug trafficking and the illicit alcohol trade will be treated as proceeds of crime, promptly frozen and forfeited to the State,” Murkomen said.
The CS said the government intends to target land, buildings, factories and other property found to have been used in the production, storage or trafficking of illegal substances.
“We are not just taking drugs off the streets, we are taking the profits off the pockets of the beneficiaries,” he said.
Murkomen also issued a warning to public servants accused of facilitating narcotics trafficking or illicit alcohol operations.
“Any government official found colluding with drug traffickers or illicit alcohol networks will be dismissed from service and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he said.
The CS said the wider multi-agency crackdown launched following a directive by President William Ruto had resulted in 3,331 arrests connected to the manufacture, distribution, sale and consumption of illicit alcohol.
Authorities have also seized 675,505 litres of illicit alcohol, with 385,875 litres already destroyed, according to figures released by Murkomen on Thursday.
Murkomen credited National Government Administration Officers for working with the National Police Service and other agencies in enforcement operations across the country.
“Let me thank our NGAO officers for holding hands with the police to make sure this success is achieved,” he said.
He also warned against threats targeting police and other security personnel involved in dismantling drug trafficking networks, saying officers carrying out operations against organised crime would continue to receive government protection.
Murkomen further acknowledged support from international partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the US government, in Kenya’s anti-narcotics efforts.
Thursday’s destruction comes as security agencies intensify surveillance along the Kenyan coast, which authorities say is among the routes targeted by international narcotics trafficking networks.
Follow our social media pages for breaking news updates, in-depth stories and videos.
news@nairobilens.ke
