Widow of Mombasa drug kingpin jailed for 40 years in heroin trafficking case

Fatuma was charged alongside her late husband, Swaleh Yusuf Ahmed, also known as 'Kandereni,' a notorious drug kingpin in the Coastal region.

The charges stemmed from their arrest on September 18, 2018, when they were discovered trafficking heroin worth more than Ksh 275 million in their Kikambala home.

Senior Principal Magistrate Martin Rabera delivered the sentence, which was then read out by Chief Magistrate David Odhiambo.

Rabera stated that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence, including testimony from officers who participated in the raid on the accused's home.

The prosecution, led by lawyer Barbara Sombo, opposed Fatuma's request for a non-custodial sentence via her defence attorney.

Sombo argued that the court should consider the gravity of the offence, citing the amount of heroin seized—91,735 grammes.

She stated that if the drugs had reached the market, they could have claimed the lives of over 91,000 people, given the street-level sales per gramme.

Court documents revealed that Swaleh's charges were dropped following his mysterious death.

His body was discovered in the Kiruwitu area near Vipingo in Kilifi County, nine days after he was reported missing under unclear circumstances.