Three Kenya Airways employees have been handed 25-year prison terms each after the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court found them guilty of trafficking heroin valued at more than KSh 60 million
Those convicted are Lennox Chengek Chestit, a cabin crew member; Kenneth Sinzore Isundu, a ground staffer; and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno, also a cabin crew member.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku issued the sentences alongside hefty fines ranging between Sh88 million and Sh90 million for each of the three.
Failure to pay the fines will attract an additional one-year sentence, to run concurrently.
The case involved two counts of heroin trafficking.
KQ staff jailed for 25 years as DPP secures major conviction in heroin trafficking case
— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) November 22, 2025
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has secured yet another major victory in the fight against narcotics after three Kenya Airways employees were each sentenced to 25 years in prison… pic.twitter.com/ba5P4uStCg
In the first, Chestit and Isundu were convicted of trafficking 9,845.70 grams of heroin valued at Sh 29,537,100.
In the second, Otieno and Isundu were found guilty of trafficking 20 kilograms of heroin worth Sh 60 million.
The court ordered that Isundu’s sentences run concurrently.
Magistrate Thuku declined the convicts’ request for non-custodial sentences, noting that the law does not permit such leniency in drug trafficking offences.
“All three asked the court for a non-custodial sentence, but the court is bound by the Community Service Orders Act. Drug trafficking offences do not fit the parameters for non-custodial sentencing,” she ruled.
The court further expressed concern over the reputational damage the crime posed to key state institutions.
“To see employees of Kenya Airways themselves involved in drug trafficking is more damaging than any of them possibly imagined,” the magistrate said.
Following the verdict, Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga, CBS, OGW, hailed the judgment as a significant affirmation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (ODPP) determination to dismantle drug trafficking networks within and beyond critical national institutions.
He commended the prosecution team—Norah Otieno, Kennedy Panyako, and Rono Paula—for their diligence and professionalism throughout the eight-year trial.
“This verdict sends a clear message that no individual or institution is beyond the reach of the law,” the DPP stated.
“The ODPP will continue to work tirelessly to protect Kenya’s borders, safeguard public institutions, and ensure that those who undermine national security face the full force of justice.”