Bus Driver, Conductor Flee as Police Intercept Sh2.19 Million Cocaine From Uganda at Malaba Border

Tunoi Kevin 09:09 - 21 October 2026

The driver and the conductor of the bus disappeared from the scene, abandoning the bus along with its passengers.

Authorities made the drug bust after a Simba Coach bus travelling from Kampala to Nairobi pulled in at the border post for standard checks.

Police have busted a drug trafficking operation in Malaba after a routine screening of passengers and luggage led detectives to a cocaine consignment worth approximately Sh2.19 million.

The discovery was made when a Simba Coach bus travelling from Kampala to Nairobi pulled in at the border post for standard checks.

During the inspection at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post, officers came across an unattended parcel inside the bus, immediately raising suspicion and prompting a closer search.

𝗦𝗛𝟮.𝟭𝟵𝗠 𝗖𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗔 𝗢𝗦𝗕𝗣, 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗡𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗘𝗗 A routine passenger and luggage screening at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) has uncovered a drug trafficking operation, with detectives arresting one suspect and intercepting a cocaine consignment valued at approximately Sh2.19 million. The incident unfolded when a Simba Coach bus, Reg. No. KDG 093H, en route from Kampala to Nairobi, arrived at the border post for routine screening. During the inspection, officers found an unattended parcel inside the bus, raising suspicion and prompting further scrutiny. But as the parcel was singled out for examination, the situation took a dramatic twist. The driver and the conductor vanished from the scene, abandoning the bus and its passengers, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Malaba subsequently took over the consignment for further processing. Preliminary tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine, packaged in eight pellets weighing 547.99 grams, with an estimated street value of Sh2,191,960. In the ensuing investigations, the bus turn boy, Meshack Medalack, was arrested in connection with the incident. Detectives are hot on the trail of the the driver, identified only as Karama, and the conductor, John Musimbi, as investigations seek to unravel the circumstances surrounding the consignment and establish the respective roles of those involved. The bus was detained at Malaba OSBP as the management arranged for alternative transport for the affected passengers. The DCI, through NANIB, remains steadfast in its war against narcotics trafficking, tightening the noose on drug networks seeking to exploit transport routes and border crossings. #FichuaKwaDCI. Call 0800 722 203 (Toll-free) or WhatsApp at 0709 570 000 to report anonymously. Usiogope!
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) October 21, 2026

Driver and conductor flee

As officers focused their attention on the parcel, both the driver and the conductor disappeared from the scene, abandoning the bus along with its passengers.

Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau in Malaba took over the consignment for further analysis.

Preliminary tests confirmed the substance as cocaine, packaged into eight pellets weighing a combined 547.99 grams, with an estimated street value of Sh2,191,960.

Bus turnboy arrested, hunt on for driver and conductor

One suspect, identified as bus turn boy Meshack Medalack, has since been arrested in connection with the consignment.

Detectives are now pursuing the driver, known only as Karama, and the conductor, John Musimbi, both of whom remain at large.

Investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the drug consignment and determine the specific role each suspect played in the operation.

Authorities have detained the bus at Malaba OSBP while the company's management arranged alternative transport to ferry the stranded passengers to their destinations.

Kenya's biggest drug bust

In October 2025, Kenya made one of the biggest drug busts in East Africa, seizing a consignment of methamphetamine valued at over Sh8.2 billion.

Authorities seized the consignment in a stateless vessel named "Mash Allah" after they intercepted it in the Indian Ocean near the port of Mombasa.

Kenyan security agencies received credible intelligence from regional and international partners on the suspicious vessel and relayed the information to the Kenya navy.

A multi-agency team was assembled to track and intercept the suspicious boat and bring it to the port of Mombasa.

"Kenya Navy was able to intercept this suspicious vessel about 630 km east of Mombasa and we have been able to conduct this operation seamlessly and we were able to arrest it and escort it to the port of Mombasa,” Deputy Commander of the Kenya Navy, Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa explained.

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