Police and residents of Kimilili, Bungoma County, were on Friday morning taken aback when a man suspected to be mentally ill was arrested with Ksh 275,000 in cash.
The middle-aged was also busted with 5,000 plastic bags that have been banned in the country for close to two years.
NEMA officials accompanied by police were conducting a crackdown in the area, on individuals still engaging in the illegal plastic bags business when they arrested the man.
Bungoma lead environment officer, Rob Kipkoech, disclosed that a group of youthful street urchins tried to attack NEMA officials when they were arresting the suspect, People Daily reports.
Kimilili Sub-County Deputy Commissioner, Joyce Onguso, confirmed the incident, stating that the suspect would be arraigned once investigations into the incident are concluded.
However, NEMA's chief corporate communications manager, Evans Nyabuto, who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke, the man purported to be mentally retarded could be hiding behind the said condition so as to engage in illegal business.
"The money that amounted to 20 bundles of Ksh 1,000 notes, may have been laundered money," affirmed Nyabuto.
The suspect is being detained at a Bungoma police post pending investigation.
Police are still in awe of how the suspected mentally ill man acquired the lumpsum amount of money and the plastic bags which remains a subject of investigations.
NEMA has conducted various crackdowns to hunt those illegally trading in the plastics bags since their ban in 2017.
Those found guilty of using them risk a two-year jail term or a fine of between Ksh2 million and Ksh4 million.
