NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 21 – The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), has secured a landmark conviction in a narcotics case that has sent a strong warning across the country’s illicit drug networks.
In a judgment delivered at the Wamunyu Law Courts, a woman was handed a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of drug trafficking, while a Civil Engineering student was convicted for possession.
The case has been widely cited as a major breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown against drug abuse and trafficking.
The case stems from an intelligence-driven operation conducted by NACADA enforcement officers from Nairobi targeting a suspected cannabis distribution hub in Kabaa area, Mbiuni location.
On April 10, 2025, officers moved in after surveillance and arrested two suspects at a residential house believed to be operating as a narcotics den.
Authorities recovered 20 brooms of unprocessed cannabis weighing 4.115 kilograms, valued at Ksh. 126,250. Additionally, 87 rolls of processed cannabis weighing 90 grams were seized, along with Ksh. 4,220 suspected to be proceeds of crime.
The two accused persons were arraigned in court — one a Civil Engineering student at Kabete National Polytechnic, and the other alleged to have delivered the cannabis.
Senior Resident Magistrate P. E. Nabwana ruled that the student could not claim ignorance, noting that she had allowed entry of the second accused carrying a sack of cannabis into the house.
“The 1st accused can now not feign ignorance of what was going on in the house,” the court ruled. “She actively participated in the crime.”
The student was convicted of possession and fined Ksh. 100,000 or face three years in prison.
The second accused faced the more serious charge of trafficking. The court invoked Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act, citing the precedent set in Timami v Republic, which links possession of large quantities of narcotics to trafficking.
The court found her guilty beyond reasonable doubt and imposed a fine of Ksh. 50 million or, in default, a 20-year prison sentence — one of the stiffest penalties issued in recent narcotics cases.
NACADA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Omerikwa welcomed the judgment, describing it as a clear sign that intensified enforcement efforts are yielding results.
He attributed the success to renewed government focus on combating drug abuse and trafficking, noting that coordinated efforts between enforcement agencies and the Judiciary are strengthening prosecutions.
“This sentence proves that no trafficker, no matter how deeply embedded, is beyond the reach of the law,” he said.
The ruling underscores a growing shift in Kenya’s fight against narcotics, where courts are increasingly handing down tougher penalties aimed at dismantling drug networks.
By combining intelligence-led operations with stronger legal follow-through, authorities say they are disrupting the economics of the drug trade and raising the risks for traffickers.
The judgment is expected to serve as a precedent for future cases, reinforcing a tougher stance against narcotics offences and signaling a more aggressive phase in the country’s anti-drug campaign.