A long-running drug trafficking case involving three Kenya Airways workers came to a close after a court at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport issued heavy prison terms and financial penalties over the movement of heroin valued at more than Sh60 million.
The ruling brought an end to an eight-year trial that exposed how staff trusted with protecting Kenya’s main international gateway took part in a drug scheme that authorities say risked damaging the reputation of national institutions.
The court sentenced Lennox Chengek Chestit, who worked as cabin crew, Kenneth Sinzore Isundu, who served in ground operations, and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno, also a member of cabin crew, to 25 years each. They were further ordered to pay fines ranging from Sh88 million to Sh90 million, with an extra one year in jail if they fail to raise the amount. The extra year will run at the same time as their main sentence.
The case involved two separate trafficking charges.
In the first, the court found Chestit and Isundu guilty of moving 9,845.70 grams of heroin with a value of KSh 29,537,100. In the second, Otieno and Isundu were convicted of trafficking 20 kilograms of heroin worth Sh60 million. The court directed that Isundu’s sentences run at the same time.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku turned down the trio’s request for non-custodial sentences. She said the law does not allow such an option for drug trafficking, stating, “All three asked the court for a non-custodial sentence, but the court is bound by the Community Service Orders Act. Drug trafficking offences do not fit the parameters for non-custodial sentencing.”
During the ruling, the court said the three did not consider the harm their actions could cause to organisations they served. Magistrate Thuku noted, “To see employees of Kenya Airways themselves involved in drug trafficking is more damaging than any of them possibly imagined.”
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions welcomed the court’s finding, saying it reinforces efforts to break drug rings operating around national entry points. The DPP, Renson Ingonga, said, “This verdict sends a clear message that no individual or institution is beyond the reach of the law. The ODPP will continue to work tirelessly to protect Kenya’s borders, safeguard public institutions, and ensure that those who undermine national security face the full force of justice.”
Chestit was 26, Otieno 27, and Isundu 45 at the time of arrest. The judgment is seen as a key moment in the push to curb the trafficking of narcotics through Kenya’s air travel systems.
