This followed a routine passenger and luggage screening that revealed an unattended parcel inside the bus, which raised suspicion.

The incident involved a Simba Coach bus en route from Kampala to Nairobi. The driver and the conductor, however, escaped during the parcel screening, abandoning the bus and its passengers.

Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bur\au (NANIB) in Malaba took over the consignment for further processing and found it to be cocaine, packaged in eight pellets weighing 547.99 grams, with an estimated street value of KSh2,191,960.

The bus turn boy, Meshack Medalack, was arrested in connection with the incident upon subsequent investigations.

The bus was also detained at Malaba OSBP as the management arranged for alternative transport for the affected passengers.

Detectives are now hunting for the bus driver identified only as Karama, and the conductor, John Musimbi, as investigations seek to unravel the circumstances surrounding the consignment and establish the respective roles of those involved.