Chrispus Waithaka, the alleged mastermind behind the theft of condemned sugar worth Sh163 million, was arrested by detectives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday night upon arrival from Dubai.
Waithaka, a director of Assets and Cargo Limited, was one of the people who witnessed the breaking of customs seals on the 40 containers of condemned sugar on April 20.
The suspect had been flagged by security agencies and a travel ban was in circulation before he was intercepted by immigration officials on arrival in Nairobi
officers handed him over to DCI detectives who arrested him at Kamukunji Police Station and remanded him in custody pending his appearance in court this morning.
During the arrest, the suspect produced a copy of a Sh100,000 interim bail order that his lawyer said he had obtained from the Mombasa High Court on Friday
“He was in possession of a copy of an interim order for anticipatory bail of Sh100,000 granted by the High Court in Mombasa vide Criminal Miscellaneous Application number E067/2023 dated 19 May 2023,” a police report said.
Investigations into the sugar scandal have been completed and the case file has been forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, which is expected to approve charges against senior officials of the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), among other suspects.
On Wednesday last week, Civil Service boss Felix Koskei announced the suspension of 27 officials from Kebs, KRA, National Police Service (NPS), DCI and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to pave way for investigations into the irregular release of the condemned sugar