- Two women were intercepted at JKIA while preparing to board an Emirates flight to Dubai.
- Detectives say 658 grams of suspected gold were recovered from the suspects during a security search.
- The DCI says investigations are continuing as authorities probe the source and intended destination of the mineral.
Two women have been arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a multi-agency security operation foiled an alleged attempt to smuggle approximately 658 grams of suspected gold out of the country.
The suspects, identified as Mahamed Shukri Abdullahi and Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein, were intercepted in the early hours of September 4, 2026, as they prepared to board an Emirates flight bound for Dubai.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), officers conducting a security search discovered that the two women had concealed the suspected mineral on their bodies.
Abdullahi was allegedly found in possession of a gold bar weighing 541 grams.
The bar had reportedly been concealed in her hair, wrapped with a hairband and tucked beneath her hijab.
Her alleged accomplice, Hussein, was found with a gold pellet weighing 116.79 grams concealed inside her bra.
The recovered items had a combined weight of approximately 658 grams and were seized as investigations continued.
Suspects awaiting arraignment
The two suspects were taken into custody and are undergoing processing pending arraignment in court.
The DCI said the operation was conducted jointly with multi-agency security partners as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt illegal mining and mineral-smuggling networks and protect Kenya’s natural resources from criminal exploitation.
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Authorities are expected to investigate the source of the suspected gold and establish whether the two women were acting independently or as part of a wider mineral-smuggling network.
By Kimwele Mutuku
The writer is a history and language analyst.
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