Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) ejected suspected criminals from matatu bound for Nairobi in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
In a statement, the authority indicated that it received a tip-off from the public that two of the passengers in the shuttle were ferrying 16 bales of bhang.
The matatu left Busia County on the evening of Tuesday and was destined to arrive in Nairobi on the morning of Wednesday, June 6.
"Two suspects of trafficking in narcotics were early this morning ejected from a Nairobi-bound matatu from Busia at the Kangemi flyover, and from them, 16 bales of bhang stashed in their travel bags were seized," DCI stated.
"The arrest of the two followed a tip from members of the public indicating the presence of the illicit cargo in the shuttle matatu they were traveling in."
The officer confirmed that the duo were taken to Anti-Narcotics detectives at the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road for further processing .
In February, the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) revealed that the use of bhang had alarmingly risen in Kenya.
NACADA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Anthony Omerikwa confirmed that the use had shot up but 90 per cent in a span of five years.
The spike has led to intensified crackdown to nab suspected drug lords and vendors in most affected regions among them the Coastal counties.
“We have apprehended two suspects with 435 rolls and assorted brooms of Cannabis sativa. One we suspect is the distributor, and the other is the consumer. We have also apprehended his mode of conveying, which is a motorbike,” the CEO stated in mid-February.
“The government’s stand on drugs is that the use of illegal drugs is not allowed; we will pursue these individuals to ensure this menace is addressed."
According to official data, 518,807 Kenyans aged 15–65 are using the illegal drug. The figure comprises; 475,770 males and 43,037 females.
