In a landmark judgment, three Kenya Airways employees were sentenced to 25 years in prison each for trafficking heroin valued at over Ksh.60 million. The convictions were handed down on Friday by the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court.
Cabin crew members Lennox Chengek Chestit and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno, alongside ground staffer Kenneth Sinzore Isundu, were also fined between Ksh.88 million and Ksh.90 million. Failure to pay would result in an additional one-year sentence running concurrently. The trio had pleaded for non-custodial sentences, which Magistrate Njeri Thuku rejected, noting that drug trafficking offenses do not qualify under the Community Service Orders Act.
The charges involved two separate counts of heroin trafficking. Chestit and Isundu were found guilty of ferrying 9,845.7 grams of heroin worth Ksh.29.5 million, while Otieno and Isundu were convicted for a 20-kilogram haul valued at Ksh.60 million. Isundu’s sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
Magistrate Thuku reprimanded the convicts for tarnishing the reputations of Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority, describing their actions as “more damaging than they could have imagined.”
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga praised the verdict, calling it a decisive strike against criminal networks exploiting national institutions. He commended the prosecution team for navigating the eight-year-long trial and emphasized that the judgment sends a strong message that no individual or institution is beyond the law.
The defendants, aged 26, 27, and 45 at the time of arrest, have now been held accountable for actions that threatened Kenya’s security and undermined public trust in national institutions.
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