Drug traffickers and suspects found in possession of narcotic drugs will now be prosecuted without charge sheets being registered at county Offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), following a new directive targeting drug-related crimes.
The move follows the designation by Chief Justice Martha Koome of four Special Magistrates’ Courts to exclusively hear and determine cases involving possession and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances with both local and international dimensions.
The designated courts are the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court, Kahawa Magistrate’s Court, Mombasa Magistrate’s Court and Busia Magistrate’s Court. The designation was formalised through Gazette Notice No. 387 of 2026.
According to the directive, no charge sheet relating to narcotics and psychotropic substances will be registered at any ODPP office within the counties, regardless of the quantity or value of the drugs involved. All such cases will be handled directly by the designated courts.
The directive applies to all narcotic drug and psychotropic substance matters and takes effect from Monday, February 2, 2026.
The move is aimed at streamlining the prosecution of drug-related offences, strengthening coordination in cases with cross-border implications, and enhancing the efficiency of the justice system in combating drug trafficking networks.
The directive was issued by Evelyn Onunga, the Officer in Charge of Prosecution, Kiambu County in a memo dated January 30. The same was communicated to all prosecutors in the country.
As part of efforts to enhance the new operations, Chief Justice Martha Koome on January 15, 2026 gazetted and designated four courts as Special Magistrates Courts to hear and determine cases of possession and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances with municipal and internal dimensions.
The courts include Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Magistrates’ Court, Kahawa Magistrates’ Court, Mombasa Magistrates’ Court and Busia Magistrates’ Court.
This meant the jurisdiction of the courts is where the menace is rampant.
President William Ruto announced plans for the establishment of a strengthened Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), with capabilities comparable to the elite Anti-Terrorism Police Unit.
A multi-agency team was also established and directed to commence work immediately to coordinate a nationwide crackdown on the distribution of illicit ethanol and drugs.
The county governments were asked to establish at least one rehabilitation centre in every county to support the recovery and reintegration of individuals affected by alcohol and drug abuse. ANU’s personnel will be expanded from 200 to 700 officers and equipped with modern surveillance, intelligence, forensic, and financial investigation tools to target high-level drug traffickers and illicit alcohol networks, Ruto said.
Already the DCI bosses have started to recruit and train the targeted officers ready for work. Ruto also emphasised that asset tracing, seizure, and forfeiture would feature prominently in narcotics and illicit alcohol investigations, with recovered assets redirected toward rehabilitation, prevention, and treatment programmes. Ruto warned that any government official or security officer found colluding with traffickers would be prosecuted and dismissed from service. Ruto declared alcohol and drug abuse a national emergency that threatens public health, national security, productivity, and the social fabric of the country. He noted alarming statistics showing that one in six Kenyans aged 15-65 uses at least one substance of abuse, with over 4.7 million people affected, and that initiation into harmful use often begins in the teenage years. “This crisis demands decisive national action,” Ruto said, unveiling a comprehensive government strategy to confront the menace through enforcement, prevention, and multi-agency cooperation.
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