Four law enforcement officers suspected to be part of an illegal arms trade have been arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The four, consisting of an assistant superintendent prisons officer, two constables and a corporal, were arrested after an operation by detectives from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) with the sleuths noting that the group had been under investigation for some time over suspected involvement in the illegal trade of firearms and ammunition.
“Detectives from the Operations Support Unit have arrested four law enforcement officers suspected of being behind an illegal arms and ammunition trade that has contributed to insecurity and violence in various parts of the country,” DCI noted.
“The four officers have been under investigation for some time due to their suspected involvement in the illegal trade of firearms and ammunition,” it added.
According to the DCI, the corporal was caught in the act after receiving a consignment of 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the two constables.
Notably, the two constables work at the central firearms stores in Industrial Area, Nairobi, while the corporal is based at the Turkana Police Headquarters.
Their postings indicated that this was a well-orchestrated scheme to have the firearms and ammunition delivered to Turkana.
Further investigations led to the detectives discovering 19 assorted firearm magazines, firing pins, cleaning kits, and three spent 9mm cartridges from one of the constables.
The other constable was arrested while in possession of a Remington Rand Model 1911 pistol and two Ceska pistol firing pins.
DCI disclosed that all four suspects had been processed, pending arraignment on Monday, September 29, 2025.
In Kenya, the use of illicit arms is highly prevalent, with independent surveys projecting over 650,000 illicit firearms in Kenya, with most concentrated in pastoral counties in the North Rift.
Key drivers of the use of illicit arms are community arming for protection against banditry and cattle-raiding, organized crime, political or ethnic violence, and spill-over from regional conflicts.
