In a well-coordinated operation carried out on Tuesday afternoon, detectives recovered a consignment of uncustomed powdered milk valued at more than Sh75 million.

The raid took place at a warehouse situated in the Eastlands suburbs of Nairobi.

The operation, executed by investigators from the Economic & Commercial Crimes Unit in collaboration with officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), successfully retrieved 1,511 bags of powdered milk.

These bags had previously been declared unsuitable for human consumption when they arrived at the Port of Mombasa.


Investigators are working to unravel the mystery of how the condemned milk, which was destined for destruction, ended up in a warehouse located in the Mowlem area of Umoja III.

It is suspected that the consignment was illicitly transported from a warehouse in Mombasa and then clandestinely transferred to Nairobi for repackaging, with the intention of selling it to unsuspecting members of the public.

"How the milk that had been condemned and was due for destruction found its way to a godown in Umoja III’s Mowlem area, is the current mystery that the sleuths are trying to unravel,"  the police said.

"It is suspected that the consignment was sneaked from a Mombasa-based godown, before being hauled to Nairobi secretly for repackaging, to be sold to unsuspecting members of the public."

The detectives, acting promptly upon receiving intelligence through the toll-free DCI hotline, swiftly raided the premises.

They discovered 25-kg bags of powdered milk in the process of being repackaged, with their expiry date labels deliberately removed.

Officials from the Kenya Bureau of Standards promptly deemed the illegal shipment unsuitable for human consumption.


This incident resulted in a loss of over Sh32 million in unpaid taxes for the government.

Currently, investigators are on a manhunt to apprehend the mastermind behind this elaborate scheme, which could have had severe health implications for Kenyans if the contaminated powdered milk had made its way into the local market.

The authorities extended their gratitude to the vigilant member of the public who provided information about the consignment.

"We thank the member of the public who provided information regarding the consignment and call upon the larger public to emulate this example, for our collective safety and security," they said.