CASE CONCLUSION – ACQUITTAL – November 16, 2023: Yesterday in Kahawa Law Court before Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Maura Ombewa, police Superintendent Calvin Juma Boy Ombata was acquitted of all charges against him relating to his September 2022 arrest. He had been charged after police investigators had found 13.5 tonnes of sandalwood, 14 kg of marijuana, and an assault rifle in and around his home. A quantity of the sandalwood was found loaded on police vehicles. He was able to argue successfully through his counsel that he was at the time lawfully executing his police duties. He was the Office Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Samburu East at the time.
In February of this year, in a ceremony presided over by the Cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Roselinda Soipan Tuya, and attended by the US Ambassador to Kenya Megan Whitman, in the presence of a number of different enforcement agencies, the 13.5 tonnes of sandalwood seized was burned at DCI Headquarters.
SEEJ-AFRICA THUMBNAIL:
- Samburu East Police Commander Juma Ombata and two other police officers were arrested on Tuesday September 27th, 2022 found in possession of 13.5 tonnes of sandalwood, loaded in a police vehicle.
- The accused have been transported to the special court in Kahawa, Nairobi, to face charges under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.
- Experts over the years have continually pointed the finger at enforcement officers, (NPS, KWS, KFS) and county officials as being critical enablers of the illegal sandalwood trade.
- In November 2015, 4 men were arrested in the Nakuru area, including one police officer, with ksh 20 million worth of sandalwood. They were using police lorries.
- In November 2016, in the Wamba area, 3 men were arrested with 12 tonnes of sandalwood.
- A few months later, an internal KWS investigation revealed a small cartel operating within the KWS Wamba intelligence cell who were active in smuggling sandalwood.
- In January 2018, corrupt officers were confronted by community residents in Isiolo who found ksh 1 million worth of sandalwood in a lorry they were driving.

Samburu East OCPD arrested ferrying sandalwood
September 28th, 2022: