The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested four law enforcement officers suspected of involvement in an illegal arms trade.

The group—comprising an assistant superintendent of prisons, a corporal, and two constables—was taken into custody following an operation by the Operations Support Unit (OSU).

Detectives revealed that the officers had been under investigation for some time for their alleged role in trafficking firearms and ammunition.

“Detectives from the Operations Support Unit have arrested four law enforcement officers suspected of being behind an illegal arms and ammunition trade that has contributed to insecurity and violence in various parts of the country,” DCI noted.

“The four officers have been under investigation for some time due to their suspected involvement in the illegal trade of firearms and ammunition.”

The DCI reported that the corporal was caught red-handed receiving a shipment of 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the two constables.

The constables are stationed at the Central Firearms Stores in Industrial Area, Nairobi, while the corporal serves at Turkana Police Headquarters—suggesting a coordinated effort to transport firearms and ammunition to Turkana.

Further investigations uncovered 19 assorted firearm magazines, firing pins, cleaning kits, and three spent 9mm cartridges from one of the constables.

The second constable was found in possession of a Remington Rand Model 1911 pistol and two Ceska pistol firing pins.

The DCI confirmed that all four suspects have been processed and are awaiting arraignment on Monday, 29th September 2025.

Illicit firearms are a serious concern in Kenya, with independent studies estimating over 650,000 illegal guns in circulation, particularly in pastoral counties across the North Rift.

Factors driving the proliferation of these weapons include community self-arming against banditry and cattle raids, organized crime, political or ethnic violence, and spillover from regional conflicts.