An intelligence operation in Mombasa on Saturday, August 16, 2025, led to the arrest of a person of interest armed with a machete.

In a statement, the National Police Service (NPS) confirmed that the said man was apprehended during a crackdown in Likoni targeting machete-wielding gangs.

Besides the machete, the person of interest was also caught with several rolls of cannabis sativa.

“Police officers from Likoni Sub-County, Mombasa County, conducted an intelligence-led operation today, 16 August 2025, targeting criminal gangs,” the statement read in part.

“During the operation, officers arrested a male suspect who was armed with a panga (machete) and found in possession of three rolls of cannabis sativa,” it added.

He was escorted to police custody, where he is awaiting processing and arraignment.

Following the arrest, the National Police Service reaffirmed its commitment to flushing out criminals and ensuring the safety and security of all Kenyans, residents, and visitors.

Plans to outlaw carrying machete

The latest arrest came months after Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir unveiled a set of stringent measures to curb the rising threat posed by machete-wielding gangs across the county.

Speaking in April 2025, Governor Nassir announced that the county would enforce the Public Nuisance Act, which is set to be amended so that individuals found carrying a machete in public face the same punishment as those caught with an unlicensed firearm.

“You will not have any business walking around the city with a machete. You will be required to use only a machete at home on your farms,” he made it clear.

Since then, police have made several arrests targeting machete-wielding gangs in the county.