Multi-agency team seizes suspected Al-Shabaab uniforms during Eastleigh crackdown

By Manuel NtoyaiWednesday April 8, 2026

A sweeping security raid in Nairobi has uncovered what investigators suspect is a dangerous terror supply line, after officers seized dozens of bales of alleged Al-Shabaab combat uniforms concealed in Eastleigh.

The nighttime, intelligence-driven operation around the busy KBS Garage area brought together a multi-agency team led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Starehe and the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), who moved in on a consignment thought to be part of a broader regional network.

The breakthrough, shared in an X post, came after an earlier interception on April 6 in Dhobley, Somalia, where Jubaland Security Forces recovered 25 bales of similar camouflage clothing, deepening suspicions of a cross-border operation.

Detectives traced the shipment to a suspect identified as Abdi Hakim, who is now in custody in Dhobley, before tracking the trail into Nairobi’s Eastleigh, a densely packed commercial center often used for high-volume trade.

Acting quickly, officers raided Gaani Parcel Express along 12th Street, where part of the cargo had been delivered.

What they discovered was significant.

Eleven bales, each containing 60 full camouflage uniforms and 120 T-shirts, were recovered. A further bale holding 65 uniforms and 120 T-shirts was found at another facility, Vision Point Express, where the items had reportedly been stored because of limited space.

Authorities say the parcel outlet’s manager, Omar Elmi Issack, arranged for the temporary storage after receiving the goods from a man identified as Sharif.

As investigators pressed on, they uncovered a wider logistics chain reaching well beyond Kenya’s borders.

Safe Link Cargo, a company based at Soma Towers, is believed to have handled the importation of a larger consignment of 37 bales of suspected militant uniforms.

The shipment is said to have come from China and entered through the Port of Mombasa disguised as consolidated cargo.

One employee, Abdiftah Aden Muhammed, is under investigation for allegedly coordinating the clearance and movement of the cargo.

Investigators have also linked him to Sharif and another suspect, Abdikadir, creating what authorities describe as a crucial chain in the suspected terror supply network.

Records indicate the goods were picked up on April 4 before being moved to Eastleigh, a transfer that ultimately set off the intelligence trail leading to the bust.

All the recovered items have been secured as exhibits, while several key suspects remain in ATPU custody and are assisting with investigations.

Security agencies say the operation represents a major blow to terror logistics before the materials could be used in attacks on the ground.