SEEJ-AFRICA THUMBNAIL:
- On Thursday evening, January 14th, 2021 and acting on intelligence from the Mara Elephant Project, officers of KWS and NPS arrested one of two men on a motorcycle.
- They were carrying two tusks weighing approximately 11 kg. One of the suspects escaped on foot.
- The accused appeared in Kenhancha court the next day and was to be released if he could cover the bail requirements.
- The arrest location is close to the Tanzanian border. One month previous, another man had been arrested in the same area with 54 kg of ivory hidden in sacks of charcoal.
Man found with elephants tusks freed on Sh1m bond
Pleaded for a review of the bond terms but magistrate dismissed plea.
by Manuel Odeny 15 January 2021 – 15:45 The Star
A suspected ivory smuggler has denied trafficking 11kg of elephant tusks worth Sh1.1 million. Alex Wambura, 41, was charged before a Kehancha court on Friday. He was arrested by Kenya Wildlife Service and police officers on Thursday.
Wambura was charged with being of possession of and dealing in wildlife trophy. He pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on Sh1 million bond with a similar surety or Sh800,000 bail. Wambura pleaded for a review of the bond terms but resident magistrate Anne Karimi dismissed his plea.
“I have keenly observed your prayers but owing to the sensitivity of the case, I find the prayers non-logical and are hereby dismissed,” she said in her ruling.
Wambura was arrested along Ntimaru-Kehancha road after police received a tip-off from wananchi. Kehancha sub-county police commander Cletti Kimaiyo said Wambura’s accomplice escaped on foot. “A police officer was seriously injured during the Thursday night swoop, we have launched a manhunt for the accomplice,” he said.
Smuggling of animal trophy has been on the rise, especially from neighbouring Tanzania. On December 12, a 40-year-old man was arrested and detained at Migori police station after he was found with Sh5.4 million trophy. He was charged before the High Court in Migori. County police commander Manase Musyoka said the trophies weighing 54kg were packed in charcoal sacks.
