Three Kenya Airways employees have been sentenced to 25 years in prison each for trafficking heroin worth more than Sh60 million, marking a major win for the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the fight against narcotics.
The ruling was delivered by the JKIA Law Courts, where Lennox Chengek Chestit (cabin crew), Kenneth Sinzore Isundu (ground staff), and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno (cabin crew) were found guilty of trafficking large consignments of heroin through Kenya’s largest international airport.
In addition to the lengthy jail terms, each convict was slapped with hefty fines ranging between Sh88 million and Sh90 million. Failure to pay will result in an extra one-year sentence, to run concurrently.
Two Major Drug Trafficking Counts
The convictions were based on two separate trafficking counts:
- Count 1:
Chestit and Isundu were found guilty of trafficking 9,845.70 grams of heroin valued at Sh29,537,100. - Count 2:
Otieno and Isundu were convicted of trafficking 20 kilograms of heroin worth Sh60 million.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku ruled that Isundu’s sentences run concurrently.
The court rejected the trio’s plea for non-custodial sentences, noting that the law governing drug trafficking under the Community Service Orders Act disallows such leniency.
“Drug trafficking offences do not fit the parameters for non-custodial sentencing,”
— Magistrate Njeri Thuku
Court Condemns Damage to National Institutions
The court further criticized the employees for undermining the reputation of Kenya’s national carrier and the Kenya Airports Authority.
“To see employees of Kenya Airways themselves involved in drug trafficking is more damaging than any of them possibly imagined,”
— Magistrate Thuku
DPP Welcomes Ruling
DPP Renson Ingonga lauded the judgment as a strong indication of the ODPP’s commitment to dismantling narcotics networks—especially those exploiting critical national institutions.
He commended prosecutors Norah Otieno, Kennedy Panyako, and Rono Paula for their professionalism over the eight-year trial.
“This verdict sends a clear message that no individual or institution is beyond the reach of the law,”
— DPP Ingonga
At the time of their arrest, Chestit was 26, Otieno 27, and Isundu 45.
The ruling marks a significant milestone in curbing narcotics trafficking through Kenya’s international gateways.
