Illegal Paramilitary Combat Armour, Bulletproof Helmets Seized At Port Of Mombasa

MOMBASA, Kenya, Jul 31 – Was it a case of mistaken cargo?

This is what police and port authorities in Mombasa are trying to establish after an unidentified person called police on Saturday afternoon and notified them that military like equipment and gear including bulletproof vests and helmets were part of his container consignment.

According to Coast Regional Police commander Manase Musyoka, the unidentified person, who was not named due to security reasons, discovered the military gear mixed with secondhand goods he had purchased.

Police did not reveal where the goods came from, citing, “sensitive nature of the case”

“The person thought they were civilian goods but noticed they were military or paramilitary equipment. We immediately went there and recovered them,” said Manase.

“In our private residence we don’t keep these items, they are only kept in a government armoury. They are only used for specialized operations.”

Manase who described the consignment as ‘dangerous’ if in the wrong hands, said that police recovered 12 navy blue combat amours and 17 bulletproof vests.

The military gear are being preserved at the Changamwe police station pending investigations.

“The man expected secondhand clothes but he was shocked to find the military uniforms…luckily he did not fear reporting the matter to us,” he said.

Questions are however being raised as to how such a consignment would be by-passed by port authorities such as Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) officials despite strict clearing policies at the port of Mombasa.

Conflicting reports however indicate that the goods might have been set for disposal before being sold to a willing buyer who later realized the content of the consignment and notified police.

“These are for specialized operations and someone having them means they might not have god intentions,” he said.

Police also revealed that the man that notified them of the suspicious consignment was not arrested but said he was aiding them with the ongoing investigations.