A multi-agency security team in Kitui County has recovered 48 rounds of live ammunition after intercepting a passenger bus along the Thika–Garissa Highway at Kanyonyoo.
The ammunition was allegedly concealed inside pieces of meat packed in a blue woven carrier bag found on the overhead luggage rack serving seats 23, 24 and 25.
The bus, identified as a Zafanana Coach operated by Northern Cruz Sacco, was travelling from Dadaab to Nairobi when officers stopped it during a security check.
According to the report on the recovery, officers searching the bus discovered a black nylon package hidden inside pieces of meat. The package contained 48 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition.
The calibre is commonly used in firearms including the AK-47 platform. However, the calibre of the recovered ammunition alone does not establish the specific firearm for which it was intended.
The driver, Samuel Ngui Munyithya, and turnboy Justus Muatha Kiola were arrested following the discovery.
The two reportedly failed to account for the consignment or identify its owner.
They were taken to Kanyonyoo Police Station, where they remained in custody as detectives began investigations into the ammunition.
The bus was also detained, while the recovered rounds were secured as exhibits.
Investigators are expected to establish how the ammunition came to be concealed among the luggage, who owned the consignment and where it was headed.
The latest recovery comes months after a separate ammunition interception at Kanyonyoo.
In May,the Directorate of Criminal Investigations reported recovering 116 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition and 19 rounds of G3 ammunition from a different passenger bus travelling from Lamu to Nairobi.
The two suspects remain in custody as detectives trace the ownership and movement of the ammunition.
The recovered rounds have been secured as exhibits as investigations continue.
