Several Bags of Stolen Coffee Recovered as Police Arrest Prime Suspect in Kimimini

Detectives have arrested a prime suspect and recovered several bags of stolen coffee following a series of coffee thefts reported in Kimimini.

Police said the thefts peaked on the night of November 25, 2025, when about 50 suspects armed with pangas raided the premises of Sowek Kenya Company Limited in Waitakuk.

The gang cut through a barbed-wire fence, tied up two security guards with ropes and assaulted them before escaping with the guards’ mobile phones and nine beds of drying coffee.

A day earlier, another incident was reported at Kiungani Coffee Growers Cooperative Society. In that attack, unknown men broke into the parchment drying area after digging a hole through a brick wall. They stole about 25 bags of P1 coffee parchment, each weighing approximately 50 kilograms.

Following forensic leads and intelligence reports, detectives launched a crackdown that led to the arrest of Gregory Kingasia Wekesa, identified as a key suspect in the thefts. Police say the suspect had been buying coffee from illegal sources without authorisation.

“Detectives found Maingi in possession of 18 bags of coffee beans totalling around 1,800 kg, five bags weighing about 500 kg stashed inside his home, and an additional 13 bags weighing approximately 1,300 kg left outside to dry in the sun,” police said.