Two arrested with elephant tusks in Bungoma
Two suspected traffickers were Saturday June 14 arrested with two elephant tusks valued at Sh1 million in Chaptais area, Bungoma County.
Police in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers from Kitale, acted on intelligence and apprehended two suspects at Cheptais-Kipsis Junction.
The suspects were intercepted while transporting the two elephant tusks concealed in a blue sack on a motorcycle.
It is not clear where the two had gotten the tusks. This shows an elephant had been killed by poachers probably in the area.
It comes amid a campaign to address the poaching menace.
The suspects were expected to face charges of being in Possession of Wildlife Trophies of Endangered Species Contrary to Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.
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.
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.
Officials say despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
As part of efforts to stop the menace, Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment, including drones, to track poachers and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos.
KWS and stakeholders have put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
These 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.
On April 30, 2016, Kenya set ablaze 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta led world leaders and conservationists in burning the remains of 6,500 elephants and 450 rhinos killed for their tusks and horns.
Parliament 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.