Detectives from Nairobi Central Sub-County have arrested two suspects and recovered more than 900 stolen mobile phones in a major blow to an inter-country phone theft syndicate operating within the region.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation conducted in Nairobi’s Central Business District along Charles Rubia Street, near the busy Buscar bus stage.
Officers intercepted two packages that were being prepared for shipment to Uganda, only to discover they contained a large consignment of suspected stolen mobile phones.
Upon inspection, detectives found approximately 900 devices concealed in the packages. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects are part of a wider criminal network involved in stealing mobile phones from unsuspecting members of the public as well as from mobile phone shops, before trafficking the devices to neighbouring countries for resale.
The two suspects, identified as Brian Yomasia and Stephen Okwachi Shisia, were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for possessing the phones.
They were arrested at the scene and taken, together with the recovered devices, to Nairobi Central Police Station, where they are being held pending arraignment.
The recovery comes barely days after another successful operation on January 24, 2026, in which detectives recovered more than 150 stolen mobile phones, underscoring the scale of the syndicate’s operations.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said it remains committed to dismantling mobile phone theft networks through sustained intelligence-led operations across the country, warning criminal groups that their activities are under close surveillance.
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