January 14th, 2013 - 3827 kg of ivory found amongst a consignment of mazera stones
- Kenyan Authorities charged Fredrick Sababu Mungule (a clearing agent), James Ngala Kassiwa (a Kenya Revenue Authority officer) and Gideon Natali Onsinyo Nyangau (a Kenya Ports Authority employee) relating to this shipment.
- They were also charged with a 1323 kg ivory seizure made in Hong Kong on January 3rd. These charges are represented by court files CF 255/13 and CF 417/13 and still ongoing in Mombasa court. (see also #14)
- The same three, with the addition of another Kenya Revenue Authority officer, Nelson Ayoo, were also charged in relation to a 1833 kg seizure made in Singapore on January 23rd that had originated in Mombasa. That case is being tried separately as CF 754/13 and is also presently ongoing. (See #122)
- The same transport company (and same drivers) delivered the three ‘ivory’ containers to Mombasa port. It also delivered 3 more containers of ivory to Mombasa port in 2015 (see case’s #40 and #118)
- The Kenya logistics for all three January seizures were identical apart from consignee’s, including cargo cover load.
- Fredrick Sababu Mungule was identified as the clearing agent and facilitator of a 2033 kg ivory shipment seized in Thailand in March 2011 but was never charged. (see #124)
- DNA analysis of this shipment showed the origin of the ivory to be from Tanzania and Kenya.
DNA ivory origins 2/3 Tanzania and 1/3 Kenya. Two tusks in this shipment were directly matched (the tusks from the same elephant in 2 different shipments) to two tusks in an ivory seizure made in Dubai four months later. That shipment had originated in Kampala and transited Mombasa. (courtesy Center for Conservation Biology – Samuel K. Wasser et al)
KRA officials cleared sh100m ivory haul
By WESONGA OCHIENG
CONTROVERSY has erupted over the Sh100 million worth of ivory consignment netted at the Mombasa port on Tuesday night.
Reports that emerged hours after the consignment that was en route to Indonesia confiscated at the Mombasa port indicated that Kenya Revenue Authority officials knew how the container entered the port. The 638 pieces that were butchered from an estimated 300 elephants were intercepted two weeks after about 12 elephants were killed at the Tsavo national park by poachers.
KRA officers connected the 20-feet container marked FSCU7615602 to another 20-feet container marked GESU1271362 that was intercepted in Hong Kong last month.
Papers indicated that the container’s shipping and clearing agents facilitated the cargo intercepted in Hong Kong.The consignment exporter falsely declared that the container was holding decoration stones.The exporter has been identified as Mombasa’s Ngindo general trading limited, while the consignee has been named as PT Kandur Prima Karya Company of Indonesia. The exporter of the Hong Kong-bound consignment is Mwaliko General Trading Company limited.
The marked clearance agents of the two containers are Three ways Freighters and Mwamba Freight Services and the shipping company marked as East African Commercial Services Company Limited.
