[PHOTOS] House where 44 teens were arrested in wild party

Forty-four teenagers were on Saturday night arrested during a house party in Nairobi’s Mountain View Estate.

Alcohol and drugs were seized during the operation that was triggered by a tip-off from residents on the existence of a cartel targeting schoolgirls in the city.

At least 26 boys and 18 girls aged between 14 and 17 were arrested according to a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

All are in primary and secondary schools in Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos counties and had been there for hours, the police said.

The aftermath of the drinking spree is evident by the many empty bottles of liquor in all the rooms in the house.

In a scruffy state, the house exposes the activities of the nights before. A half-eaten cake, re-usable party cups as well as bottles of drinks were left on the bed.

Following the arrests, detectives had contacted some of the teenagers' parents.

The host, a 41-year-old woman, was interrogated by detectives attached to the Dagoretti police command. Bhang and different brands of whisky and vodka were nabbed.

DCI boss George Kinoti said investigations were ongoing to establish how the children left their homes and travelled that far without raising suspicion from their parents.

“Police also want to establish why the woman had hosted the children and how the children got to her house.

“The DCI once again requests parents to take keen interest in their children’s activities at home and on social media networks,” he said.

On Sunday, the team handling the case visited Thika in efforts to trace the place where the girls may have been partying. Their mission was unsuccessful. 

The team said the girls were uncooperative and some of their parents are now afraid of what may befall them later.

Officers from Child Trafficking Unit, however, said they were determined to crack the gang. “In a matter of time, we will crack this,” said an officer aware of the probe.

While they had not yet established whether it was a case of sex trafficking, Dagoretti police chief Francis Wahome told the Star detectives were exploring all options by casting their net wide.

"The probe is ongoing and we are still looking for more suspects," Wahome said