Woman faces 50 years jail term for trying to smuggle heroin into Uganda
A 55-year-old woman has been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment or an alternative fine of Sh50 million for trying to smuggle heroin into Uganda.
A woman arrested while trying to smuggle heroin into Uganda in 2023 faces 50 years behind bars if she fails to pay a Sh50 million fine.
Mumbi Mwaura, 55, was on Wednesday sentenced to 50 years imprisonment or an alternative fine of Sh50 million by a Busia court after being found guilty of contravening the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 2022 by peddling 3.9 kilogrammes of heroin worth Sh11.8 million.
Mumbi's sentencing follows a rigorous and protracted legal battle that began on March 10, 2023 when she was arrested at Busia One Border Point with the illegal drugs as she attempted to cross into Uganda.
Mumbi stood pensively in court on Tuesday as her sentence was announced.
The Busia border, a major entry and exit point between Kenya and other East and Central African countries, has been identified as a conduit for illegal substances, including drugs.
The sentencing came in the wake of news that several Kenyan women had been caught up in drug trafficking networks.
In November 2024, a Mombasa court sentenced Fatuma Ahmed Ali to 40 years in prison or a fine of Sh825,642,000 for possession of heroin worth Sh275 million.
Currently, Margaret Nduta is facing a death sentence for drug trafficking after being arrested and imprisoned in Vietnam two years ago.
Another Kenyan woman is being held in Hong Kong, China, after being charged with drug trafficking.