Police arrest Homa Bay ‘chief goon’ as KRA seizes smuggled sugar worth millions

Police in Homa Bay have arrested a man described as a “chief goon” following months of investigations into violence at a Linda Mwananchi rally in the county, as authorities intensify separate operations against suspected criminals and illicit trade.

Kassim Abdi Sebo was arrested at Homa Bay Bus Stage on Thursday night while officers were executing a warrant issued by the Homa Bay Law Courts on August 14, 2026.

Preliminary police findings indicate that the warrant relates to an alleged offence of assault causing actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 251 of the Penal Code.

The operation was conducted by officers from Homa Bay Police Station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), under County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem.

Seven other men were arrested after allegedly obstructing officers during Sebo’s arrest. They were identified as Achiando Victor Odhiambo, 26; Isaac Masika Muliro, 30; Oyege Moses Geoffrey, 27; Geoffrey Njore, 25; Odhiambo Wesley Arnold, 26; Joseph Kobila, 28; and Alfred Nyagiro Aliwa, 26.

The eight suspects were being held for pre-charge processing before being presented in court.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has seized approximately 46 tonnes of suspected smuggled sugar in Lodwar, Turkana County, and intercepted additional consignments in Kakamega County in an intelligence-led crackdown on illicit trade.

The Lodwar operation, conducted at about 2am on Thursday, October 8, led to the interception of two lorries carrying 920 bags of KALIRO-branded sugar. Each bag weighed 50 kilogrammes, with the consignment attracting an estimated tax implication of Sh9.73 million.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the sugar entered Kenya from Moroto, Uganda, through Nadapal without payment of applicable taxes or compliance with customs requirements.

In Kakamega, officers intercepted a Probox carrying 30 bags of brown sugar, weighing 50 kilogrammes each. The consignment was valued at approximately Sh1.524 million before the vehicle and exhibits were detained at Matungu Police Station.

In a separate incident along Mumias Road in Matungu, officers pursued a lorry whose driver allegedly failed to stop for a compliance check. The driver and two other occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled.

Police apprehended one suspect, while an inspection established that the lorry was carrying 100 bags of sugar. KRA estimated the consignment’s value at Sh500,000, with taxes at risk amounting to approximately Sh3 million.

The authority warned that smuggling undermines government revenue, disadvantages compliant traders and exposes businesses to legal penalties. It urged the public to report suspected tax evasion and illicit trade.

In Machakos County, police are investigating the killing of a 68-year-old night guard during a suspected break-in at Kinyau Market in Kathiani.

James Ndolo Muia, who guarded Uamani Shop, was found dead at about 6:50am on Thursday by a shopkeeper arriving to open a business.

Police found his body on the ground with injuries to the forehead, left eye and right wrist. Investigators established that three shops had been broken into.

A bar attendant told police she heard screams at around 4am but assumed they came from quarry workers passing nearby.

Another guard said Muia had complained of a severe headache before leaving work at around 11pm the previous night.

The body was taken to Machakos Funeral Home mortuary for an autopsy, as the Kathiani Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer leads investigations into the killing and the break-ins.