A Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) security guard has been arraigned in court in Eldoret over the alleged theft of more than 1.8 million sticks of cigarettes valued at Sh22.7 million from a government warehouse.
The accused is alleged to have broken into a KRA warehouse and stolen 1,860,520 sticks of uncustomed cigarettes that had been confiscated and stored at the facility. The stolen cigarettes were valued at Sh22,780,542.
He faces a principal charge of breaking into the warehouse and stealing the seized goods, alongside an alternative charge of failing to prevent the commission of a felony.
The suspect was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by immigration officers as he attempted to leave the country for Qatar. His arrest followed the enforcement of a Departure Prohibition Order barring him from travelling outside Kenya.
He was presented before Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Maureen Kesse, where he denied the charges.
