Four arrested for attempt to sneak syphoned jet fuel from Wilson Airport

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said that the four were intercepted by officers from the Kenya Airport Police Unit (KAPU) after observing suspicious activity from the vehicle the quartet was in.

The four, aboard a Mitsubishi Canter, tried to blend into the routine airport activity when officers stopped them before they reached the exit.

Gladys Ndumba Kanairo, the alleged owner of the consignment, was found to have no gate pass, while the vehicle lacked the mandatory authorisation from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to transport petroleum products.

An immediate search of the vehicle led to the discovery of four drums, each filled with 200 litres of jet fuel.

"The fuel had been drained from an aircraft stationed at the NASD hangar. The plane, operated by Airworks Aviation, was undergoing maintenance, providing the perfect cover for the fuel-thirsty predators," DCI said in a statement.

Kanairo, the driver Timothy Wambugu Maina, and two accomplices, Kennedy Njoka Kinuthia and Abdulmalik Musinga, were then immediately arrested.

They are currently being processed pending arraignment, with the vehicle and the fuel held as exhibits.