Detectives have intercepted a cocaine consignment worth Ksh2.19 million at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post, arresting a bus crew member as investigations unfold into the means by which the suspected narcotics came to be on board a passenger vehicle.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported that the drugs were discovered during passenger and luggage screening on a Simba Coach bus travelling from Kampala, Uganda, to Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

The investigators noted that the parcel, which raised suspicion, was singled out for closer examination before detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Malaba took custody of the consignment for further processing.

Initial tests confirmed that the substance was cocaine in eight pellets weighing a total of 547.99 grammes. The DCI estimated the value of the street retail of the narcotics at Ksh2,191,960.

The DCI reported that the bus driver and conductor had exited the scene as officers examined the parcel, leaving the vehicle and its passengers at the border post. The agency recounted the events that led to the discovery of the narcotics, saying, “But as the parcel was singled out for examination, the situation took a dramatic twist. The driver and the conductor vanished from the scene, abandoning the bus and its passengers, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.”

The mysterious disappearance of the two transport crew members prompted further investigation into the circumstances in which the parcel came to be on board.

The driver, whom the DCI identified as Karama, and the conductor, whose name the investigators gave as John Musimbi, were the subjects of detective work meant to reveal how the drugs came to be on the bus and whether other persons were involved. The chain of circumstances leading up to the parcel’s presence inside the vehicle had yet to be completely established with the information made public by the detectives.

The DCI reported that the bus turn boy, Meshack Medalack, had been taken into custody in connection with the consignment. His apprehension followed the seizure and examination of the suspected narcotics.

The investigators are due to establish the degree of his involvement and whether the parcel was part of a larger drug trafficking scheme. The arrest of the bus turn boy does not absolve him of criminal liability. The circumstances of the case will determine whether the accused is found guilty of the charges levelled against him.

The DCI did not give more information in its first report about the intended destination of the parcel, the means by which it came to be on board the bus, or whether the narcotics belonged to any of those on the vehicle.

The Simba Coach bus was held at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post as detectives continued their probe. The company’s management provided alternative conveyance for those passengers who were inconvenienced by the development, as reported by the DCI.

The seizure occurred at a critical entry point along the Kenya-Uganda corridor, where commercial passenger vehicles are subjected to inspection of persons and luggage at the border.

The discovery of the cocaine parcel underscores the efficacy of the investigative procedures deployed by detectives, which have led to the identification of a transport crew member and the seizure of suspected narcotics. The presence of the drugs on board does not establish how the parcel came to be part of the transportation chain or who might have been responsible for its placement on the bus.

The detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) have taken custody of the consignment as they continue to seek the missing two and establish the roles that each may have played in the transportation of the illicit substance.

The value of the cocaine detected on the bus has been estimated at Ksh2.19 million by the DCI. The agency has yet to give details of the network that facilitated the trafficking of the narcotics across the Kenya-Uganda border.

The ongoing investigation will establish the extent to which the parcel of cocaine worth Ksh2.19 million came to be on board the bus and whether other persons played a role in its transportation.