Nairobi (AX) — Two women were arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after detectives allegedly discovered 658 grams of suspected gold hidden on their bodies as they prepared to leave Kenya.
Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations said in a statement Sunday that Mahamed Shukri Abdulahi and Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein were intercepted in the early hours of Sept. 4 while waiting to board an Emirates flight bound for Dubai.
- Advertisement -
“But their journey was abruptly halted when officers subjected them to a search,” the DCI said.
According to detectives, Mahamed Shukri Abdulahi concealed a 541-gram gold bar in her hair. The bar had been wrapped with a hairband and placed beneath her hijab.
Officers also allegedly found Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein carrying a 116.79-gram gold pellet hidden inside her bra. The combined weight of the suspected gold recovered from the pair was about 658 grams, the DCI said.
The suspects remain in custody and are being processed for arraignment as investigations continue.
JKIA has increasingly faced scrutiny over allegations that it is being used as a transit point for smuggling gold, other minerals and narcotics.
In July 2026, anti-illegal Mining and Smuggling officers seized 54,805 kilograms of gold bars valued at approximately KSh 1 billion. The consignment was allegedly destined for illegal export to Dubai without payment of 4 per cent royalties, and the operation resulted in the arrest of two suspects of Somali origin.
In April this year, the Anti-Narcotics Unit seized methamphetamine allegedly bound for the Philippines in two packages. One package contained 1,730 grams concealed in car pistons from Tanzania, while the other contained 1,020 grams traced to Juja.
The DCI said it remains committed to protecting Kenya’s mineral resources from illegal exploitation and dismantling criminal networks involved in the smuggling of precious minerals.
