Kimimini detectives have apprehended a key suspect believed to be behind a series of high-value coffee thefts in the region, recovering a large quantity of stolen beans in the process.
The crackdown comes after multiple coordinated heists targeting local coffee producers in November 2025.
The most audacious incident occurred on November 25 at Sowek Kenya Company Limited in Waitakuk, where a group of around 50 armed individuals forced their way into the facility.
Security guards were tied up, assaulted, and robbed, while thieves made away with nine beds of drying coffee along with the guards’ mobile phones.
A day prior, armed intruders had executed a similar operation at Kiungani Coffee Growers Cooperative Society, breaking through a brick wall to steal 25 bags of P1 coffee parchment.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the successful apprehension followed detailed forensic work that traced the stolen coffee to Gregory Kingasia Wekesa.
The suspect had reportedly been buying coffee from unverified sources, raising suspicion among investigators.
At the time of arrest, Wekesa was found with 18 bags of coffee beans weighing about 1,800 kilograms. Authorities also seized five bags, roughly 500 kilograms, hidden inside his residence, and another 13 bags of approximately 1,300 kilograms left outside to dry.
The recovered coffee has since been secured at Kimimini Police Station.
Coffee farming plays a significant role in Kenya’s economy, particularly in Central and Eastern regions where smallholder farmers depend on timely sales for income.
Theft of high-quality P1 parchment disrupts livelihoods and impacts local cooperatives, making security and law enforcement critical in curbing criminal activity.
Wekesa is now in custody awaiting arraignment, while investigations continue to determine the full extent of the theft network.
Police have urged coffee farmers to maintain vigilance and report suspicious purchases or movements of coffee in the region.