Two women have been arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a multi-agency team allegedly foiled an attempt to smuggle about 658 grams of gold out of Kenya to Dubai.
In a statement by DCI on Sunday, the suspects Mahamed Shukri Abdulahi and Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein were intercepted in the early hours of September 4,2026 as they prepared to board an Emirates flight to Dubai.
The suspects were stopped after officers subjected them to a search, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
One of the women, Mahamed Shukri Abdullahi, was allegedly found carrying a gold bar weighing 541 grams. Investigators said the bar had been concealed in her hair, wrapped with a hairband and tucked beneath her hijab.
Her alleged accomplice, Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein, had also concealed suspected gold. Officers recovered a gold pellet weighing 116.79 grams from inside her bra.
The two items brought the total weight of the recovered suspected gold to approximately 658 grams.
The suspects were taken into custody and are undergoing processing pending arraignment as investigations into the alleged smuggling attempt continue.
The arrests come as Kenyan authorities step up efforts to disrupt illegal mining and the trafficking of minerals out of the country.
The DCI said it was working with multi-agency partners to dismantle networks involved in illegal mining and mineral smuggling.
The agency said it remained “relentless in dismantling illegal mining and mineral smuggling networks” as part of efforts to protect Kenya’s precious natural resources from criminal exploitation.
The DCI has urged members of the public to report suspected criminal activity anonymously through its toll-free number, 0800 722 203, or WhatsApp line 0709 570 000.
The suspects are expected to face court proceedings as authorities continue investigating the source and intended destination of the suspected gold.