Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has broken his silence following the dramatic interception of a stateless dhow carrying methamphetamine valued at more than Sh8 billion off the Kenyan coast.
Murkomen said the multi-agency operation, spearheaded by the Kenya Navy under Operation Bahari Safi 2025.01, was part of an intensified national effort to dismantle drug trafficking networks targeting East Africa’s coastline.
“We will destroy those drugs soon, in full public view,” Murkomen said. “The government is fully resolved in the fight against narcotics that have destroyed the lives of young people and families, especially along the Coast.”
The vessel, codenamed IGOR, was seized about 630 kilometres east of Mombasa after months of international surveillance. The dhow was found to be carrying 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine, one of the largest single drug seizures in Kenya’s maritime history.
According to security sources, the dhow had repeatedly evaded authorities before its capture by the Kenya Navy Ship Shupavu, which led the operation in coordination with regional partners under the Safe Seas Africa Programme.
Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa, the Deputy Commander of the Kenya Navy and head of the multi-agency task force, described the interception as a milestone in Kenya’s maritime security efforts. “The Kenya Navy successfully intercepted a vessel of interest suspected of involvement in narcotics trafficking,” he said. “This operation demonstrates our growing capacity to safeguard our waters and counter transnational organised crime.”
The operation was supported by surveillance from the Regional Coordination Operations Centre in Seychelles, the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre in Madagascar, and maritime patrol aircraft from the Republic of Seychelles.
After interception, KNS Shupavu escorted the vessel and its six crew members to the Port of Mombasa, where they were handed over to a multi-agency investigation team.
Authorities have since obtained court warrants to inspect and test the seized narcotics, with the suspects expected to face trafficking charges.
