Kitengela – 3 Policemen amongst four found with 29 kg Ivory

SEEJ-AFRICA Notes: (media stories below)

The arrest this past Saturday, June 15th, 2024, of three policemen and a civilian businessman, is at least the fifth time this year that there has been police involvement in the trafficking of ivory within Kenya.

Citizen Digital was the first to break the news and listed the suspects in this latest incident as: Richard Kipleting, a police constable, Philip Lupanga, a police constable attached to Judiciary Milimani as a driver, Ben Kiplang’at Koskei attached to a senior politician from Eldoret, and Charles Nzuki, a civilian.  

On arrest in the Kitengela area, 5 tusk pieces were found in the Subaru vehicle in which the four suspects had been travelling. The lead agency was the KWS Headquarters investigative unit.

Since the initial arrest, there have been reports that one of the arrested officers was assigned as security for Eldoret area MP Oscar Sudi.  Sudi is a Member of Parliament for Kapseret and known to be a close advisor to President Ruto.

It has also been reported that a second officer is assigned to the Presidential Escort Unit (PEU). This is the unit that provides security to President Ruto and his family, other past President’s and other international VIP’s as assigned.

This is not the first time that police officers linked to high level ministers have been caught with ivory. In February 2016, four AP officers were arrested while transporting 5 kg of ivory in a Toyota Prado.  P.C. Peter Kuria Kimungi was security for politician Martha Karua.  Corporal Francis Karanja was the driver for Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’. Corporal’s Stephen Ngawai and Martin Mwiti were driver and guard for a Principal Secretary who was never identified.  Surprisingly, they were all convicted although the initial sentence of Sh20 million fine or life imprisonment was reduced on appeal to Sh1 million or 5 years in jail.

The suspects were arraigned on June 19th at Kahawa court and the case proceedings can be followed at E071/24_KAH.