Murkomen announces new Anti-Drug Bureau during Sh.8.2B drug haul destruction

MOMBASA, Kenya—The government has upgraded Kenya’s Anti-Narcotics Unit into a new National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau as it intensifies the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the specialised anti-narcotics workforce has been increased from 200 to 405 officers, while 20 vehicles are being procured to strengthen the bureau’s operations.

Murkomen made the announcement in Mombasa on Thursday while presiding over the destruction of more than 1,000 kilogrammes of methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion at the Bamburi Cement factory.

He said the new bureau would be equipped to undertake intelligence, surveillance, forensic and financial investigations, reflecting the government’s focus on dismantling not only drug shipments but also the criminal networks and financial systems supporting the trade.

The CS said the government was also strengthening border security through modern surveillance technology and expanding cooperation among agencies involved in combating narcotics.

The multi-agency approach brings together the National Police Service, National Intelligence Service, NACADA, Financial Reporting Centre, Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Anti-Counterfeit Authority, Assets Recovery Agency, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Kenya Coast Guard Service.

Murkomen said the government seized about 10 kilogrammes of methamphetamine between January and August this year, alongside 13,879.081 kilogrammes of cannabis, 4.241 kilogrammes of heroin and 4.58 kilogrammes of cocaine.

During the same period, 259 suspects were arrested in narcotics-related operations, while 21 cases are currently before the courts and two convictions have been secured.

The Sh8.2 billion methamphetamine haul destroyed in Mombasa weighed more than one tonne. The consignment was seized in the Indian Ocean in October 2025 and is linked to a trafficking case involving six Iranian nationals before the Shanzu Law Courts. The six have been placed on their defence after the prosecution closed its case.

Murkomen said Kenya must combine enforcement with prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, noting that the government has completed an assessment of 266 rehabilitation facilities, with 164 accredited.

He said 11 counties have also confirmed their willingness to establish rehabilitation centres, while the government is finalising a workplace policy on substance abuse.

The CS cited NACADA data showing that more than 4.7 million Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 are using at least one drug or substance of abuse. He said Mombasa had recorded the highest rate nationally at 34.4 per cent.

Murkomen said the government would also pursue the assets and profits associated with drug trafficking and illicit alcohol trade, with assets acquired through the proceeds of crime targeted for freezing and forfeiture.

He said President William Ruto had directed that recovered assets be redirected towards rehabilitation, prevention and treatment programmes.

He further warned that government officials found colluding with drug traffickers or illicit alcohol networks would face dismissal and prosecution.

The CS said the government’s wider crackdown had also resulted in 3,331 arrests linked to the manufacture, distribution, retailing and consumption of illicit alcohol and the seizure of 678,505 litres, of which 353,875 litres had been destroyed.

Murkomen described drug trafficking as both a security and public-health threat, warning that Kenya remains a market and transit route for narcotics moving through the region.

He urged members of the public to report manufacturers, sellers and distributors of drugs and illicit brews, saying community cooperation would be critical to the government’s efforts.

The destruction of the Mombasa haul came as authorities maintained heightened security around the Bamburi facility, where the exercise was conducted following court-supervised procedures.