Bus conductor denies having drug suspect as passenger from Tanzania to Kenya

Drugs trafficking suspects from right: Hussein Massoud Eid, Othmani Hamisi Tinje and Mwenda Hamisi Mwenda in a Mombasa Court. [Kelvin Karani/Standard]

A Kenya-Tanzania bound bus conductor testifying in a case where three are accused of trafficking heroine worth over Sh30 million has denied having one of the accused people in his bus from Tanzania to Kenya.

Tahmeed bus conductor Ali Said alias Ali Baba testified before Senior Resident Magistrate Edgar Kagoni that the other two accused people, Hussein Massoud Eid, Othmani  Hamisi Tinje boarded the bus from Lumumba in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and were destined for Mwembe Tyari, Mombasa, Kenya.

Hussein, Othmani and Hamisi Mwenda Hamisi have been charged with trafficking heroin valued at Sh30 million street value. They have all denied the charges. 

They have however not been released on bond or bail terms since they were charged on March 19, 2018.

Ali told the court that the bus on arrival at Lunga lunga in the Kenya-Tanzania border, all the passengers alighted as their passports and luggage was inspected by the border team which included the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Immigration team before they proceeded with their journey to Mombasa.

“According to the travel manifest which was  checked at our offices before leaving Dar es Salaam, Hamisi Mwenda was not our passenger that day but the other two accused persons were and had paid Sh2000 each from Tanzania to Kenya,” said Ali while testifying.

However,  on cross-examination by George Igunza for the accused, the conductor could not explain if he had noted or checked the names of those who were at the bus during the day of the travel to confirm that indeed the two suspects had indeed travelled despite having booked the bus to Kenya.

Ali told the court that the bus had a total of 37 passengers from Tanzania to Kenya and he could not recall the faces of all the passengers.

“What guides me in my work is the travel manifest that we get from the office and it is available for anyone. As long as the dates of travel are stored in our computers, you will get the full details of all those people who travelled from which area to which area as per the dates,” testified Ali.

The three accused Tanzanians were arrested at a hotel along Moi Avenue, Mombasa, on the date they are alleged to have arrived.

Police officers said they found the drugs hidden on the lower part of the luggage covered by a board with clothes put on top to avoid detection.

The case will be mentioned on December 3.