It is now emerging that a Mexican cartel was running a large scale methamphetamine production lab (meth lab) in Kenya.
According to a report published by the United States Department of State in March 2025, the lab was linked to the Mexican Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and was the first confirmed large-scale operation by a Mexican cartel operating in Kenya.
The International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says that the meth lab, located in Namanga near the Kenya-Tanzania Border, was seized by authorities in September 2024.
The report further adds that on October 4, 2024, based on information passed from the United States, Kenyan officials arrested a CJNG member trying to depart Kenya for Mexico.
“Cannabis (marijuana) seizures in Kenya continue to see an upward trend. Hard drug seizures are declining and U.S. law enforcement sources attribute this to deliberate supply reduction efforts by drug trafficking organizations to drive up prices,” the report adds.
Arrested and prosecuted
The September 2024 raid led to the arrest and prosecution of three foreigners and a Kenyan, who would be charged at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) law courts on October 2024, having contravened Kenya’s Section 5B (1)(a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (CONTROL) ACT No.4 of 1994.
The four individuals arrested were Isreal Alvarado Vera, a Mexican, Egwu Ogba Mba, a Nigerian, Ojukwu Awu Alias Pastor, a Nigerian, and Betty Mukami Micheni, a Kenyan.
They were also charged with additional charge of possessing precursor chemicals, including Methylamine 40%, Ethanol, Phenylacetone 99%, tartaric acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Acetone, and Toluene, among others.
Kenya’s location on the East African coast, the report notes, continues to be exploited by drug traffickers to transit illicit drugs from Latin America and Southwest Asia to Europe and Arabian Peninsula.
Although Kenya is neither a source nor transit country for drugs entering the U.S, the report says that domestic drug production in Kenya is growing.
NACADA insights
According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse
(NACADA), a Kenyan agency tasked with coordinating a multi-sectoral campaign to prevent, control and mitigate the impact of alcohol and drug abuse in the country, the most used controlled substances in Kenya are cannabis and prescription drugs.
Diazepam is the most used prescription drug, followed by artane, rohypnol, amitriptyline, largactil, codeine syrup, tramadol, piriton, biperiden, haloperidol, propofol (anesthetic), and olanzapine (anti-psychotic drug).
NACADA reports increasing consumption of locally adulterated versions of methamphetamine alongside prescription drugs, especially by the affluent. Drugs entering Kenya are often consumed by the affluent who get treatment through private care, eluding detection by authorities, which makes prevalence difficult to ascertain.
The U.S-Kenya joint fight against drugs
The U.S has played a pivotal role in helping Kenyan authorities advance their counter-narcotics capabilities, especially after establishing a Sensitive Investigations Unit (SIU), a specialized drug investigative unit mentored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“The SIU continues to receive advanced training, equipment, and support in 2024, which has helped the Kenyan government achieve positive outcomes in counter-narcotics, particularly the September 2024 seizure of the methamphetamine lab,” the report posits.
Drug trafficking continues to be one of the drivers of corruption in Kenya. Despite a stringent anti-narcotics and anti-corruption legal regime, prosecution and conviction rates remain significantly low. Political will to fight corruption also remains a challenge.
An extradition treaty exists between Kenya and the United States. While no bilateral mutual legal assistance treaty exists between the two countries, Kenya is a party to multilateral law enforcement conventions enabling mutual legal assistance to the United States.
