Police nab two suspects, recover 900 stolen phones in Nairobi

Police from Nairobi Central Sub-County have apprehended two individuals and recovered in excess of 900 stolen mobile phones during an operation in Nairobi’s Central Business District. The suspects, identified as Brian Yomasia and Stephen Okwachi Shisia, were apprehended on Charles Rubia Street near the Buscar bus stop after officers intercepted two packages bound for Uganda. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the arrests resulted from an intelligence-driven operation targeting a notorious cross-border phone theft syndicate operating in Nairobi’s busy Central Business District. “Preliminary investigations have shown that the two suspects, who could not adequately explain the mobile phones in their possession, are members of a larger phone theft network, involved in stealing phones from innocent civilians as well as mobile phone shops, and then selling them in neighboring countries,” stated the DCI. Upon examination, the packages were discovered to contain roughly 900 stolen mobile phones. The suspects, after failing to account for the items in their possession, were taken into custody and held at Nairobi Central Police Station, pending arraignment. The recovered devices are being maintained as evidence. The seizure occurred just days after another operation on January 24, 2026, where officers recovered more than 150 stolen mobile phones.