A coordinated multi-agency security team intercepted a cache of explosives concealed aboard a passenger bus bound for Meru on Tuesday, averting what authorities suspect could have been a major security threat.
The discovery was made during a routine patrol along the Kanyonyoo-Embu Highway, where officers flagged down the bus for inspection. Upon searching the luggage compartment, police recovered a suspicious carton box labeled with a popular milk brand. Upon opening it, officers found ten water gel explosives labeled EXPLOGEL V6, along with one detonating cord and two IDEAL electric detonators.
The driver, Lawrance Kioko Mutuku, and the conductor, Said Rashid Amour, were immediately arrested and the bus was escorted to Kanyonyo Police Station for further examination.
Following forensic investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), detectives from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) and the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) were able to trace the package to its sender. The operation led to the arrest of the main suspect, Brenda Imboyanga Makhulungu, in Mundutsu village, Kakamega County.
According to police, Brenda had declared the package as “Dawa ya Maji” (translated as “water medicine”) at the Tahmeed bus office in Kakamega, orchestrating its transfer through multiple bus routes—from Kakamega to Mombasa, and ultimately to a Meru-bound bus via Kitui.
The investigation further resulted in the arrest of two additional suspects, David Tindi Andala and John Kariuki Kung’u, who were apprehended in Meru town following intelligence leads.
All five suspects are currently in police custody as investigations continue. The bus and the recovered explosives have been secured as evidence.
The DCI has commended the swift and coordinated action of the involved agencies, crediting their vigilance with preventing a potentially devastating incident.
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