5 trucks destined for Uganda have been seized by Kenya’s security apparatus following a tip-off that the trucks were ferrying sensitive security cargo. According to police reports, 2 of the trucks were seized at the Webuye weighbridge, just an hour from the Malaba border.
Two other trailers had been seized in Nairobi while one was flagged down in Bungoma. Paperwork from the trucks showed they were coming from Mombasa and indicated Kampala as the final destination.
The two trucks impounded in Nairobi are said to have been taken over by armed General Service Unit (GSU) officers and driven to an undisclosed location. It is alleged that the trucks are suspected of transporting ammunition, however, this could not be verified as the police classified the information as highly sensitive.
Bungoma East Police boss Valerian Obore and County Police officers declined to comment on the matter, only saying that the matter was very sensitive.
The seizure happened on the very day when three people died and 38 were wounded in protests that erupted in the Ugandan capital after police arrested presidential candidate Bobi Wine.
Police in Kampala fired tear gas and bullets to disperse Bobi Wine’s supporters, who blocked roads and burned tires after news broke that he had been arrested in the town of Luuka and taken to a police station in Jinja.
As campaigns ramp up ahead of the January 14 general election, tension has been simmering surface across the border, with the musician turned political activist at the heart of it.
“The streets are empty … we have closed businesses because of tear gas and bullets. Things are tense. People are worried and we don’t know what’s coming next,” a Kampala resident told the media.
