Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ (DCI) Operations Support Unit (OSU) in Kenya have arrested four law enforcement officers allegedly involved in an illegal arms and ammunition network believed to be fuelling insecurity across parts of the country.
The arrests, carried out between Friday, 26th September, and Saturday, 27th September 2025, came after days of detailed profiling, surveillance, and forensic investigations aimed at dismantling the suspected syndicate.
The suspects include; an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons in Turkana, a Corporal from Turkana County Police Headquarters, an armorer from the Central Firearms Stores in Nairobi’s Industrial Area, and a Constable serving as a store man at Industrial Area.
According to the DCI, the group had been diverting government ammunition and firearm components to criminal networks, undermining public safety.
In one operation, a suspect was allegedly caught receiving a consignment of 1,000 rounds of ammunition from two colleagues, reportedly intended for another senior officer.
Further intelligence led detectives to seize 19 assorted firearm magazines, firing pins, cleaning kits, and three spent 9mm cartridges from another suspect.
Additionally, one officer was arrested in possession of a Remington Rand Model 1911 pistol and two Ceska pistol firing pins.
“Thanks to targeted sting operations, careful profiling, and thorough evidence gathering, we have dismantled this network,” the DCI officials stated. “These arrests show that precise investigations and strategic operations can effectively take down illegal arms syndicates.”
All four officers have since been processed and are scheduled for arraignment in court on Monday, 29th September, 2025.
Kenya’s National Police Service has vowed to pursue anyone who betrays public trust by fueling violence through the illegal arms trade, stressing that uniforms will not protect offenders from prosecution.
The arrests come a day after a Nairobi court ordered that one suspect, an armorer attached to Turkana County Police Headquarters and believed to possess more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, remain in custody at Capitol Hill Police Station until next week on Monday.
The officer was initially apprehended on Thursday 25th September, 2025, at the Kenyatta Avenue roundabout along Uhuru Highway in Nairobi.
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing as they track down other potential links in the network, highlighting their commitment to cracking down on illegal firearms and safeguarding public security.
