The Director of Public Prosecutions has secured a landmark conviction in the fight against drug trafficking after three Kenya Airways employees were handed 25-year prison sentences for smuggling heroin valued at over Sh60 million through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku delivered the verdict at the JKIA Court, sentencing cabin crew members Lennox Chengek Chestit and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno, along with ground staffer Kenneth Sinzore Isundu, to lengthy prison terms. Each convict was also ordered to pay fines ranging between Sh88 million and Sh90 million or face an additional year behind bars, with the extra sentence to run concurrently.

The trio was convicted on two counts of drug trafficking. Chestit and Isundu were found guilty of trafficking 9,845.70 grams of heroin valued at Sh29.5 million, while Otieno and Isundu were convicted of smuggling 20 kilograms of heroin worth Sh60 million. The court directed that Isundu’s sentences run concurrently given his involvement in both offences.

Magistrate Thuku rejected pleas from the three convicts for non-custodial sentences, noting that the law does not permit such leniency for drug trafficking offences. She pointed out that their criminal activities had caused significant reputational harm to both Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority, institutions entrusted with maintaining the country’s image on the global stage.

The Director of Public Prosecution, Renson Ingonga, praised the ruling as a testament to his office’s dedication to dismantling drug networks operating within critical national institutions.

He commended the prosecution team of Norah Otieno, Kennedy Panyako, and Rono Paula for their commitment throughout the eight-year trial.

At the time of their arrest, Chestit was 26 years old, Otieno was 27, and Isundu was 45.