Read more about the article UPDATE – The Jefwa Brothers, Could They Turn Themselves In? {They Did}
On November 15th, 2022, the two Jefwa brothers, on the Interpol Red list relating to the trafficking of 7.7 tonnes of ivory out of Mombasa in 2015, were granted anticipatory bail by Mombasa High Court Judge Ann Ong’injo.

UPDATE – The Jefwa Brothers, Could They Turn Themselves In? {They Did}

(UPDATED) March 7th, 2023: The Jefwa brothers are no longer wanted. During testimony today during the trial for Abdurahman Mahmoud Sheikh and 8 others, Senior Superintendent James Githinji, stated that…

Continue ReadingUPDATE – The Jefwa Brothers, Could They Turn Themselves In? {They Did}
Read more about the article Nothing to do with wildlife crime yet everything to do with wildlife crime
Top: Chief Inspector Samir Yunus standing in the prisoner dock of Milimani Court on December 7th, 2022 having been charged with sexually assaulting a female police officer 3 years previous (photo courtesy Richard Munguti). Bottom: CF 754/13 in Mombasa court, February 2022, Fredrick Sababu Mungule, Nelson Ayoo and James Kashiwa, acquitted of trafficking 1833 kg of ivory in January 2013 due to integrity issues. (photo courtesy Dihoff)

Nothing to do with wildlife crime yet everything to do with wildlife crime

When Chief Inspector Samir Yunus appeared in the prisoner’s dock of Milimani court, Nairobi, on December 7th, 2022, many would suggest he looked nothing like a senior police officer of…

Continue ReadingNothing to do with wildlife crime yet everything to do with wildlife crime
Read more about the article The Kromah Conviction – The Solution Needs to Come From African Courts
Clockwise from top left: Amara Cherif, Mansur Mohamed Surur Abubakar, Moazu Kromah, Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, and Abdi Hussein Ahmed. All are in New York area jails with the exception of Hussein Ahmed, who is in a Nairobi prison awaiting extradition.

The Kromah Conviction – The Solution Needs to Come From African Courts

It was a mistake.  Ten tons of ivory and 190 kilograms of rhino horn sold over a seven year period, according to the indictment.  It was actually much more than…

Continue ReadingThe Kromah Conviction – The Solution Needs to Come From African Courts
Read more about the article Teo Boon Ching and His Ivory Connection to Africa
Malaysian national, Teo Boon Ching, was arrested in Bangkok on June 29th, 2022 for trafficking ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scales from Africa to South East Asia over the past 20 years. Courtesy Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Teo Boon Ching and His Ivory Connection to Africa

SEEJ-AFRICA: The June 29th, 2022, arrest of Malaysian national, Teo Boon Ching, for wildlife trafficking and money laundering attracted minimal attention besides a few media houses in Thailand and Malaysia.…

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Read more about the article Africa’s Hot and Dusty Courtrooms – a Frontline in the Global Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade
R vs Fredrick Sababu Mungule and James Kassiwa in Mombasa Court on March 30th, 2022 for sentencing, having been found guilty of an offence under the East African Community Customs Management Act while attempting to export 638 pieces of ivory weighing 3827 kg to Thailand in January 2013.

Africa’s Hot and Dusty Courtrooms – a Frontline in the Global Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade

SEEJ-AFRICA:This report authored by Shamini Jayanathan, Global Prosecution Advisor to the Environment Team of UNODC, and published through the Environmental Investigation Agency. It can be read in its original format…

Continue ReadingAfrica’s Hot and Dusty Courtrooms – a Frontline in the Global Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade
Read more about the article A Kenyan Case in the “Bringing Down the Dragon” Template
3127 kg of ivory seized in Thailand on April 25th, 2015. Laos was the intended destination.

A Kenyan Case in the “Bringing Down the Dragon” Template

The prosecution of Abdulrahman Mahmoud Sheikh and 8 others is examined against the back drop of Wildlife Justice Commission's "10 crime enabling factors". An Analysis by the Wildlife Justice Commission…

Continue ReadingA Kenyan Case in the “Bringing Down the Dragon” Template
Read more about the article Kenya’s 90% wildlife crime conviction rate: a ladle of data, a generous measure of illegal grazing, a soupçon of corruption and a dash of perspective
DNA sample containers, seized clothing and axe from R. vs Tipape, illegal livestock grazing Tsavo West National Park

Kenya’s 90% wildlife crime conviction rate: a ladle of data, a generous measure of illegal grazing, a soupçon of corruption and a dash of perspective

The Republic versus James Tipape and 2 Others - Criminal Case 346 of 2015 TavetaIt is a rarity for a decision on a wildlife case in a rural Kenyan court…

Continue ReadingKenya’s 90% wildlife crime conviction rate: a ladle of data, a generous measure of illegal grazing, a soupçon of corruption and a dash of perspective
Read more about the article Your Rangers Are In The Crosshairs – An Open Letter to Brigadier (Rtd.) John Waweru, Director General Kenya Wildlife Service
The Kenya Wildlife Service Honour Guard as they fire a farewell salute to Warden II Bajila Kofa at his funeral on September 16th. He has assassinated on August 31st, 2021.

Your Rangers Are In The Crosshairs – An Open Letter to Brigadier (Rtd.) John Waweru, Director General Kenya Wildlife Service

KWS Warden II Bajila Obed Kofa KWS Assistant Warden Francis Isaac Awour Oyaro Dear Director,It has been some time since my last letter, almost 2 1/2 years now since you…

Continue ReadingYour Rangers Are In The Crosshairs – An Open Letter to Brigadier (Rtd.) John Waweru, Director General Kenya Wildlife Service
Read more about the article Do Recent “Kidnappings” Suggest Unsubstantiated Rhino Poaching Report has Substance

Do Recent “Kidnappings” Suggest Unsubstantiated Rhino Poaching Report has Substance

Five recent "kidnappings" in Central Kenya  may confirm anonymous reports of poached rhinos in Kenya.SEEJ-AFRICA has failed to confirm anonymous reports that in recent weeks two rhinos have been poached…

Continue ReadingDo Recent “Kidnappings” Suggest Unsubstantiated Rhino Poaching Report has Substance
Read more about the article A Spectre of Corruption – The “Shetani” Ivory Case
Boniface Mathew Malyango aks "Shetani Hana Huruma" (Kiswahili for The Devil without Mercy) in police custody, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (Courtesy Netflix "The Ivory Game")

A Spectre of Corruption – The “Shetani” Ivory Case

The ivory trafficking case of "Shetani", profiled in documentary "The Ivory Game" was likely corrupted. It began as a whisper.  An ambiguous and innocuous headline, "Court Acquits Two Once Jailed…

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Read more about the article Legal Precedent or “Legal” Corruption – The Repatriation of Seized Ivory
Mombasa Port - August 2013. 1833 kg of ivory returned from Singapore where it had been seized seven months previous.

Legal Precedent or “Legal” Corruption – The Repatriation of Seized Ivory

In the spring of 2015, the conservation world was rocked by three major ivory seizures that occurred within the space of a month.  Thailand customs seized approximately 4000 kg of…

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Read more about the article Wildlife Crime – Recognizing Corruption in the Courtroom
Republic vs Fredrick Sababu and two others. They were all acquitted on February 11, 2022.

Wildlife Crime – Recognizing Corruption in the Courtroom

Four or more criteria present in a “cartel” case indicates that someone has their fingers on the scales. Sitting in the dock of courtroom 5, Kibera Court (Nairobi), middle-aged Kenyan,…

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Read more about the article Moazu Kromah and the Case of the West African Cartel
Each square represents an ivory seizure. Tanzania is coloured brown and Kenya is directly above. The date, location and size of each seizure is in the bottom left corner. The blue dots represent the origin of the dead elephants (ivory). All lines/arrows represent seizures with genetic/direct matches to other seizures. The four seizures with #1 in top corner are linked through other evidence. “Combating Transnational Organized Crime by Linking Multiple Large Ivory Seizures to the Same Dealer” - Dr. Sam Wasser et al

Moazu Kromah and the Case of the West African Cartel

MOAZU KROMAH AND THE CASE OF THE WEST AFRICAN IVORY CARTEL In a landscape where the obtaining of false passports, birth certificates and identification cards is simply a matter of…

Continue ReadingMoazu Kromah and the Case of the West African Cartel