The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has issued a detailed clarification following a report by a local daily suggesting that a Mexican cartel operated a clandestine drug laboratory in Namanga, Kajiado county until September 2024.
The report, which referenced findings from the United States Department of State Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, claimed that the cartel had successfully run the lab until its disruption.
However, the DCI maintains that the operation was foiled before it became fully functional.
According to a press statement released on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the DCI disclosed that a multi-agency team led by the Anti-Narcotics Unit discovered the lab on September 12, 2024.
Acting on a tip, officers located the facility on a 10-acre parcel of land approximately eight kilometres from the Nairobi-Namanga highway.
The site consisted of two iron-sheet structures: one containing laboratory apparatus and chemicals, and the other serving as a chemical store, kitchen, and sleeping area.
Evidence collected at the scene, including two exercise books filled with laboratory schematics and chemical formulas, indicated the lab was still under construction. A mobile phone linked to a Mexican suspect was also recovered.
The investigation swiftly led to the arrest of six suspects believed to be part of an international drug trafficking network with ties to Nigeria, Mexico, India, Gabon, and South Africa.
Arrests and international connections
On September 16, 2024, the first suspect, Betty Mukami Micheni, was apprehended at her residence in Ruiru, Kiambu County.
DCI says that documents seized from her home linked her to the acquisition of the land, as well as the purchase and importation of chemicals and equipment.
Authorities identified her as a key figure in setting up the laboratory alongside a Nigerian national, Agwu Ojukwu.
Further investigations led to the October 1 arrest of Agwu Ogba, a Nigerian national and brother to Ojukwu, in Nairobi’s Lavington neighbourhood.
Days later, on October 3, Ojukwu himself was apprehended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while attempting to flee the country.
Ojukwu is described as the mastermind behind the operation.
Having first arrived in Kenya in 2007 purportedly for business, he is known to have extensive commercial interests across Nigeria, Gabon, South Africa, and China.
Authorities also said that he has links to a South American drug cartel.
The DCI also revealed that a fourth suspect, Alvarado Israel Vera, a former member of the Mexican police’s investigative unit, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while trying to return to Mexico.
Vera, they assert, was brought in by Ojukwu for his expertise in synthesizing methamphetamine. Two additional Mexican nationals with similar expertise remain at large.
Rounding out the group of arrested suspects are Caroline Wambui Muchira and Francis Maina Gachau, both of whom are said to have played key roles in the procurement and distribution of the chemicals.
Two Kenyan companies have also been charged for facilitating the importation and supply of chemicals intended for use at the laboratory.
International battle against drug trafficking
The investigation, which remains ongoing, has exposed a transnational criminal network with tentacles reaching from Africa to Latin America and Asia.
The DCI’s statement emphasized that the Namanga lab never became operational and categorically denied that any suspects had been deported for trial abroad.
“The expansive investigation has since revealed a powerful international nexus traversing the borders to Nigeria, India, Mexico, South Africa and Gabon. Based on these facts (and others which are sub judice), we clarify that the drug cartel did not succeed in operationalizing their illegal activities in the country and that no member or members of the criminal ring have been deported from the country for trial elsewhere,” the statement by DCI read.
The DCI reaffirmed its commitment to fighting drug trafficking in collaboration with international partners, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
“The unwavering commitment of the National Police Service, alongside our close cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, plays a crucial role in thwarting the activities of drug traffickers both within our country and throughout the region. We are dedicated to this fight and will continue to work tirelessly toward our goal of establishing a drug-free nation.”
The case highlights Kenya’s evolving role as a battleground in the global fight against narcotics, with authorities vowing to remain vigilant in combating sophisticated international drug syndicates.
Martin Oduor
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