412/20 Nanyuki - R. vs. David Mwangi Mwarari, Nderitu Githinji, Githaiga Mukere - 33 kg Ivory
CONVICTION REGISTERED: On April 23rd, 2024, Senior Resident Magistrate Vincent Mativo of Nanyuki law courts, sentenced David Mwangi Mwarari to an 8 million shilling fine or in default serve 12 months in prison for being in possession of wildlife trophies. Mwangi was the driver of the matatu in which the ivory was found.
Nderitu Githinji who was in the passenger seat of the matatu was acquitted as was Githaiga Mukere who was on a motorcycle riding alongside the matatu when it was stopped.
The picture had been muddied by two other motorcycles that seemed to be accompanying the matatu but escaped when KWS blocked the vehicle for the arrest.
SEEJ-AFRICA THUMBNAIL:
- On May 9th, 2020, Police and Kenya Wildlife Service officers arrested 3 men with 9 tusks weighing approximately 50 kg. (this amount was amended in court to 33 kg)
- The arrest was made in an area about 100 kilometres equidistant from Nairobi and Mount Kenya.
- The suspects had been transporting the ivory in a matatu. One of those arrested was the driver.
Three nabbed in Laikipia while trying to sell elephant tusks (Kenya)
by Steve Njuguna, The Daily Nation
May 10, 2020
Police and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel in Laikipia County have arrested three men who were trying to sell 50 kilograms of elephant tusks. The three suspects, David Mwara, Peter Ndiritu and Taracisio Mukere were nabbed in Marina, Laikipa Central while trying to sell the game trophies to the officers.
Laikipia Central Sub-County Police Commander Isaac Ogembo said that three were transporting the consignment of nine pieces of the elephant tusks in a matatu.
‘Potential Buyers’
Detectives posing as potential buyers arrested the three on Saturday. “We have the three, including the matatu driver, in our custody. They were arrested by our officers and those from KWS while trying to sell the elephant tusks with an estimated street value of Sh3.3 million,” said Mr Omarre. The police boss said that his officers had been following leads which resulted to the arrests.
“We have been working closely with our colleagues from the Kenya Wildlife Service. We also thank members of the public for giving us crucial information leading to the arrest of the culprits,” added the police boss.
Detained
Mr Ogembo said that the three suspects are being detained at the Makutano Police Post and will be arraigned on Monday. “We are currently preparing their files and the charge sheets and we are expecting to arraign them on Monday,” he revealed.
A KWS officer told the Nation that the ivories were not from freshly killed elephants. “The detained tusks must be from the past poaching activities because they did not appear fresh,” said the officer….
