By Antynet Ford
Three officers including a bodyguard attached to Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi, a security official attached to Presidential Escort Unit (PEU) and an officer attached to Milimani Law courts are among three police officers arrested in Kitengela, Kajiado after they were reportedly found in possession of five elephant tusks.
The three were arrested alongside a civilian over the past weekend while carrying five elephant tusks weighing 29 kilograms worth Sh2.9 million.
Kitengela police boss Patrick Manyasi confirmed the incident saying the suspects were on the Kenya Wildlife Services officers’ radar who aided their arrest.
They were trailed from Eldoret to Nairobi, and later to Kitengela where the arrest took place.
The arrest was made by officers attached to KWS at a roadblock in Kitengela, officials said.
They recovered two pistols and 30 bullets from the suspects.
Reports indicate that the suspects had drawn their pistols during their arrest but were subdued.
They were taken to Kitengela Police Station before being transferred to KSW holding in Lang’ata, Nairobi, the police said.
The suspect will be charged with the offence of being in Possession of Wildlife Trophies of Endangered Species Contrary to Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.
Officials of KWS said the seizure shows some elephants had been killed and there is a likelihood the incidents happened in the nearby parks.
Elephant tusks fetch a fortune in the black market as a surge in demand for ivory in the East continues to fuel the illicit trade in elephant tusks, especially from Africa.
Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
Kenya started using high-tech surveillance equipment, including drones, to track poachers and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos as a way of solving the menace.
KWS and stakeholders have put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
Other mechanisms include enhanced community education, interagency collaboration, and intensive intelligence-led operations, among others.
At least 20,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa for their ivory.
This translates to 55 elephants killed daily or one elephant killed every 26 minutes with a population of 35,000 elephants.
The National Assembly has also passed strict anti-poaching laws and the government has beefed up security at parks to stop poaching, which threatens the vital tourism industry.
Regionally, Kenya has also emerged as a major transit route for ivory destined for Asian markets from eastern and central Africa.
The illegal ivory trade is mostly fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhino horns are used to make ornaments and traditional medicines.
