By Ken Muthomi - Reporter
Kenya July 2, 2026 - The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has apprehended two suspects with KSh6 million in counterfeit notes along the Thika-Garissa Highway.
In a statement on Friday, the detectives said that the duo was intercepted while travelling in a black Toyota Vitz by a multi-agency security team manning a roadblock at Kanyonyoo.
After a close inspection of the vehicle, security officers found a white carrier bag containing four tightly wrapped bundles concealed beneath layers of khaki paper, aluminium foil and clear tape.
After unwrapping the bundles, officers recovered counterfeit Ksh1,000 notes neatly packed into four bundles, which were being transported to Wamunyu, Kitui County.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects were transporting the counterfeit currency to Wamunyu, Kitui County, where it was to be handed over to an accomplice for further processing to make it resemble genuine currency before being circulated,” DCI stated.
“Their shortcut to easy riches, however, turned into a detour straight to Kanyonyoo Police Station, where they were booked alongside the recovered counterfeit currency. The suspects are currently undergoing processing pending arraignment.”
DCI frequently conducts crackdowns targeting local and international counterfeiting syndicates, seizing millions in fake Kenyan shillings, US dollars, and Euros.
Recent operations have intercepted fake cash stashed in vehicles, laptop bags, and bank safes, leading to multiple arrests.
In Kenya, being found with counterfeit money may attract prison sentences ranging from 3 years to life imprisonment, alongside substantial fines.
While emphasising the economic threat that counterfeit currency poses to the country, the detectives assured the public that they would remain steadfast in rooting out criminal networks involved in currency counterfeiting and other forms of economic crime.
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