DCI targets Uganda-linked phone theft routes in Nairobi arrests

Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says it has arrested at least seven suspects and recovered more than 150 stolen electronic devices in an intelligence-led operation targeting a suspected cross-border phone theft network linked to Uganda.

The operation was conducted on January 23, 2026, in Nairobi, and focused on individuals suspected to be involved in receiving stolen mobile phones, illegally refurbishing and flashing devices, and transporting them to neighbouring countries mainly Uganda.

Investigators said the arrests form part of ongoing efforts to trace additional suspects believed to be connected to the same network, which police suspect uses informal markets and cross-border delivery arrangements to move stolen devices as originally reported by The Star News kenya .

According to the DCI’s Operation Support Unit, the suspected network is believed to facilitate movement of stolen electronics through informal trading channels, with payments allegedly made upon delivery across the border. Police said the operation recovered 150 assorted mobile phones, 16 tablets and six laptops.

DCI Director Mohamed Amin said some of the recovered phones appeared to have been tampered with through flashing and factory resets, while others still contained details believed to belong to their original owners. He said investigators also face difficulties tracing stolen devices where gadgets are dismantled and sold as spare parts.

Police said one Ugandan national was arrested in Shauri Moyo, where detectives searched her residence and recovered 75 assorted mobile phones packed in three boxes sealed with yellow tape, as well as two laptops.

Investigators said she is suspected of acting as a link between receivers in Kenya and buyers in Uganda an allegation that puts the cross-border element at the centre of the ongoing case.

A second Ugandan national was also arrested in Shauri Moyo in connection with the same investigations, police said.