Detectives from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested four law enforcement officers accused of running an illegal arms and ammunition racket that has been fueling insecurity across Kenya.
Senior and Junior Officers Implicated
Those arrested include:
- ASP Ekidor Lotira Charles, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, Turkana.
- Corporal Isaac Kipngetich, attached to Turkana County Police Headquarters.
- Constable Ileli Cyrus Kisamwa, an armorer at the Central Firearms Stores, Industrial Area.
- Constable Samson Muriithi Mutongu, a storeman at the same firearms depot.
According to the DCI, the officers had been under surveillance for weeks before the sting operation.
1,000 Rounds of Ammunition Intercepted
“The breakthrough came when Corporal Kipngetich was caught receiving a consignment of 1,000 rounds of ammunition from Constables Ileli and Mutongu, intended for ASP Ekidor Lotira,” said the DCI in a Saturday statement.
Detectives later recovered 19 firearm magazines, firing pins, cleaning kits, and three spent 9mm cartridges from Constable Mutongu. Constable Ileli was also found in possession of a Remington Rand Model 1911 pistol and two Ceska pistol firing pins.
Court Date Set
The four suspects have been processed and will be arraigned on Monday, September 29, 2025. Authorities say further investigations are ongoing to dismantle the broader network behind the illegal firearms trade.
The arrests mark a significant step in the fight against the proliferation of small arms, which security experts link to rising violence and banditry in regions such as Turkana, Samburu, and parts of Nairobi.
