The government will publicly destroy narcotics worth Ksh10 billion ($66.5 million) that were seized off the Kenyan coast in a major multi-agency maritime operation, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced.

Speaking during a fundraiser at the Africa Inland Church (AIC) Arina in Kisumu, Murkomen said the drugs, suspected to belong to an international cartel with links to Islamic States (ISIS) terrorists, were seized in a joint operation led by the National Police Service, with support from the Kenya Navy, the Kenya Coast Guard Service, and other security agencies.

“We have resolved as a nation that we must fight drugs, illicit alcohol and all kinds of things that are destroying the lives of our people. The Ksh10 billion worth of narcotics seized in the Indian Ocean will be publicly destroyed in the coming days as a show of our government’s resolve to end this menace,” he said.

He said the six foreign nationals arrested aboard the vessel were in lawful custody and would be arraigned in court before the consignment is destroyed.

The cabinet secretary said all security agencies including National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) across the country have been directed to remain vigilant to ensure that all the drugs rings are dismantled.

The drugs were discovered on Saturday aboard a stateless vessel named Mashallah, approximately 630 kilometres east of Mombasa.

A search by officers from the Navy, DCI and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) uncovered 1,024 kilograms, equivalent to 1.24 tonnes of methamphetamine packed in sacks.

The seizure marks one of Kenya’s largest narcotics busts in recent years. It follows a string of maritime anti-narcotics operations aimed at curbing drug smuggling routes that have increasingly shifted towards the Western Indian Ocean.

In previous operations, authorities intercepted vessels ferrying heroin and other synthetic drugs bound for Europe and Asia, highlighting Kenya’s strategic role in global counter-narcotics efforts.

Murkomen said the public destruction of the seized narcotics would send a strong message to drug traffickers and demonstrate the government’s commitment to safeguarding the country’s youth from substance abuse.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen addressing congregants at AIC Arina Church in Kisumu on Sunday, October 26, 2025 during a fundraiser. Photo by Chris Mahandara.