{"id":128858,"date":"2026-01-17T10:02:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T10:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/koome-designates-jkia-mombasa-busia-courts-to-hear-drug-cases\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T10:02:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T10:02:51","slug":"koome-designates-jkia-mombasa-busia-courts-to-hear-drug-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/koome-designates-jkia-mombasa-busia-courts-to-hear-drug-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Koome designates JKIA, Mombasa, Busia courts to hear drug cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 \u2014 The Judiciary has designated four Magistrates\u2019 Courts as Special Magistrates\u2019 Courts to handle narcotics trafficking and related offences, in a move aimed at strengthening Kenya\u2019s legal response to drug-related crimes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a gazette notice dated January 16, Chief Justice Martha Koome appointed the JKIA Magistrates\u2019 Court, Kahawa Magistrates\u2019 Court, Mombasa Magistrates\u2019 Court and Busia Magistrates\u2019 Court to hear and determine narcotics cases.<\/p>\n

The designation seeks to fast-track prosecutions, enhance coordination with investigative agencies and ensure greater consistency in the handling of drug-related matters.<\/p>\n

The move comes amid intensified national efforts to curb drug trafficking, substance abuse and the security challenges associated with the illicit trade.<\/p>\n

It follows a high-level multi-agency meeting chaired by President William Ruto on January 7 as part of efforts to step up the State\u2019s response to alcohol and drug abuse across the country.<\/p>\n

The meeting, convened in line with priorities outlined in the President\u2019s New Year Address, focused on accelerating legal, institutional and operational interventions, with emphasis on prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Ruto vows dismissal of officials linked to drug trafficking<\/a><\/p>\n

New DCI unit to target drug barons under Ruto\u2019s 2026 security plan<\/a><\/p>\n

New framework <\/h2>\n

During the meeting, President Ruto directed the finalisation of the relevant legal framework within 10 days to improve coordination, enforcement and accountability among government agencies involved in the fight against drugs.<\/p>\n

The meeting brought together key security and policy leaders, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, Deputy Inspectors-General Eliud Lang\u2019at and Gilbert Masengeli, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin, NACADA Chairman Stephen Nairobi, NACADA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Omerikwa and Kenya Bureau of Standards Managing Director Esther Ngari.<\/p>\n

As part of enhanced enforcement measures, the Inspector-General of Police confirmed the identification of officers for deployment to the Anti-Narcotics Unit, with resources already allocated for their training. <\/p>\n

Additional operational support, including vehicles, equipment and logistics, has also been provided to ensure readiness for nationwide operations.<\/p>\n

In a landmark directive, President Ruto ordered the establishment of rehabilitation centres in all forty-seven counties, with NACADA coordinating closely with county governments.<\/p>\n

The directive also requires national referral hospitals to set up rehabilitation facilities to provide specialised treatment, counselling and recovery services.<\/p>\n

Multi-agency enforcement <\/h2>\n

The Social Health Authority (SHA) will expand coverage by financing rehabilitation care, streamlining referral pathways and improving recovery outcomes.<\/p>\n

To further disrupt drug trafficking networks and organised crime, the government resolved to establish multi-agency enforcement teams at five key border points to enhance surveillance, intelligence sharing and coordinated action.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the government has set a deadline to end drug trafficking and abuse in Kenya within the year.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Mombasa after a high-level security and service delivery meeting with leaders from the six Coastal counties, Murkomen said the directive came directly from President Ruto.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the year we must eliminate the problem of drugs in the country,\u201d Murkomen said, noting that while recent seizures demonstrate progress, they also highlight the scale of the challenge.<\/p>\n

He cited the interception of synthetic drugs worth approximately Sh8 billion in the high seas, alongside continued seizures of cannabis entering the country through porous borders, including the northern corridor.<\/p>\n

Property seizures <\/h2>\n

Under a new strategy, Murkomen said authorities will move beyond arrests to dismantle drug trafficking networks by seizing traffickers\u2019 properties, selling them and using the proceeds to fund the construction of rehabilitation centres.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not just going for the drugs or the traffickers. We are going for their properties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

County governments will to provide land for rehabilitation centres, with Mombasa and other Coastal counties already identifying suitable parcels.<\/p>\n

Murkomen linked drug abuse to juvenile gangs and insecurity in parts of the Coast, noting substance abuse plays a major role in drawing the youth to crime.<\/p>\n

He added that while security agencies have made progress in curbing gang activity, including the so-called \u201cpanga boys\u201d, sustained efforts will continue.<\/p>\n

To prevent relapse, leaders proposed engaging affected youth through public works programmes similar to Kazi Mtaani and supporting their enrolment in technical and vocational colleges.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 \u2014 The Judiciary has designated four Magistrates\u2019 Courts as Special Magistrates\u2019 Courts to handle narcotics trafficking and related offences, in a move aimed at strengthening Kenya\u2019s legal response to drug-related crimes. In a gazette notice dated January 16, Chief Justice Martha Koome appointed the JKIA Magistrates\u2019 Court, Kahawa Magistrates\u2019 Court, Mombasa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128858\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}