A Ugandan woman who was involved in drug trafficking has been extradited to Kenya. She had fled to avoid arrest after her luggage, which contained narcotics destined for Bahrain in the Middle East, was intercepted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

Hellen Ikareut, the Ugandan national, lived in Nairobi’s Kitengela region, where she coordinated plans to transit the drugs through JKIA.

A Nairobi court has granted an application to the Director of Public Prosecutions to hold the suspect in custody while investigations proceed to charge her with a drug trafficking offence. The suspect’s extradition was granted by a Ugandan court in June 2025.

On Tuesday, Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) law courts approved the DPP’s request to hold Ikareut in custody pending the completion of investigations, which will begin on 18 May 2023 when suspicious cargo sent by Ikareut from Kitengela was secured at JKIA’s cargo shed.

“The parcel, reportedly destined for Bahrain, contained 25 shower curtains concealing a greenish plant material which tested positive for narcotic substances,” the DPP’s office said. The parcel was reportedly intended for a man named Chris Kagawa Manana Godaibiya.

A court in Kampala heard that the suspect had refused to present herself to the police to explain the contents of her consignment. Instead, she fled the country in an attempt to avoid arrest and prosecution.

Kenya’s investigative agency then sent an extradition request, which the Ugandan court endorsed on April 15, and Ikareut was arrested the following day. Her extradition became successful through the help from the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).

The court on Tuesday ordered that Ikareut be held at Embakasi Police Station for three days to facilitate the weighing and analysis of the suspected narcotics by a government chemist.

Generally, countries are not obligated to extradite their own citizens. Many nations have laws or constitutional provisions that prohibit the extradition of their nationals. However, there are exceptions, and some countries may choose to extradite their citizens under certain circumstances, particularly for serious crimes or when treaties exist.