Controversial Nairobi businesswoman Joyce Akinyi will now have to spend the next 25 years of her life in prison following her conviction in a drug trafficking case on 9th January 2025.

The sentencing comes after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) secured a conviction against Akinyi and 2 others, namely Paulin Kalala (a Congolese national) and Peres Ochieng, the masterminds of a well-orchestrated drug trafficking scheme, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) court.

The accused persons were found guilty of trafficking in narcotics in the first count and Akinyi was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and a fine of 9,018,000, while Kalala was handed a 10-year sentence and a similar fine.

In Count Two, Peres Ochieng, who remains at large with a warrant of arrest issued against her, was handed a 25-year sentence after she was found guilty of trafficking in narcotics and also ordered to pay a fine of Ksh. 7,927,740. She will serve her sentence upon her arrest.

Further, Akinyi was found guilty of possession of a passport without a valid explanation and sentenced to 2 years in prison.

She will serve the two sentences concurrently.