Fresh Details: Court Orders Six Kenyan Police Officers Detained in Turkana Firearms Trafficking Case
Last Updated on October 1, 2025 by Turkana County News Online
A Nairobi court has ordered six police officers to be held for 10 days as investigations continue into allegations of illegal firearms and ammunition trafficking in Turkana.
Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina granted the detention request from the DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) and DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions).
The six accused officers are:
1. Charles Lotira Ekidor (prison officer)
2. Ileli Cyrus Kisamwa
3. Samson Muriithi Mutongu
4. Wesley Sang
5. Paul Kipketer Tonui
6. Isaac Kipngetich
They will be held at Capitol Hill Police Station pending the completion of the investigation.
Basis for Detention
Magistrate Onyina ruled that the prosecution met the constitutional threshold under Article 49 of the Constitution, which guarantees arrested persons the right to be charged or informed of the reason for continued detention at their first court appearance.
The magistrate cited compelling reasons for the detention, including:
—Ballistic analysis of recovered firearms and magazines
—Digital forensics on seized mobile phones
Tracing of accomplices in Nairobi and Turkana
—Recovery of additional exhibits from armories
—Risk of interference with ongoing investigations if the suspects were released
The Allegations
The DCI is investigating multiple charges, including;
a) Possession of ammunition contrary to section 4A(1)(a) of the Firearms Act,
b) Possession of a firearm without a certificate,
c) Conspiracy to commit a felony under section 393 of the Penal Code,
d) Possession of government stores contrary to section 324 of the Penal Code
Details of the Operation
According to the prosecution’s affidavits:
Officers Kisamwa and Mutongu, attached to Nairobi Central Police armoury, allegedly ferried ammunition from government stores
Prison officer Ekidor was to collect and transport ammunition to Lodwar for sale and redistribution
Intelligence connected Ekidor to ammunition sales at Lokichogio market near the Kenya-South Sudan border
The arrests followed intelligence reports linking the officers to an underground network supplying ammunition to criminal gangs in the North Rift region
Evidence Recovered
Upon arrest and searches, officers recovered:
a) One Remington Rand pistol (model No. 1911, serial number 1364434)
b) Nineteen assorted magazines
c) Ammunition believed linked to illicit trafficking
d) Additionally, Isaac Kipngetich, a Turkana County armoury officer, was arrested alone on Uhuru Highway transporting 1,007 rounds of ammunition in a small Toyota Passo.
The prosecution argued that the ammunitions were intended for criminal use in cattle rustling, banditry, and violent attacks in Turkana and adjacent counties—conflicts that have claimed lives, displaced families, and caused loss of livestock.
The suspects face charges including possession of firearms without a certificate, possession of ammunition contrary to the Firearms Act, conspiracy to commit a felony, and possession of government stores contrary to the Penal Code.
Defence lawyers opposed the detention, arguing that the officers are known, traceable, and unlikely to abscond. They further insisted that some of the accused, including Chief Inspector Tonui, were armourers whose role was limited to repairing defective firearms, not handling live weapons.
The case will be mentioned again on October 9, 2025, when the court is expected to give further directions.
