Two Suspects Arrested with Elephant Tusks in Bungoma County

Two individuals were arrested on Friday in Bungoma County for being in possession of elephant tusks.

This is a significant anti-wildlife trafficking operation conducted by officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) from Kitale in collaboration with police officers from Cheptais police station. 

The suspects were nabbed in the Cheptais Kipsis junction while transporting two elephant tusks covered in a blue sack on motorcycle.  

According to Bungoma County Police Commander Francis Kooli, the suspects are believed to be part of a wider poaching and trafficking network operating across the western region of Kenya. The ivory is estimated to have a black market value.

The two suspects are currently in police custody and will be arraigned in court today, facing charges related to the possession and attempted sale of wildlife trophies, contrary to the wildlife conservation and management act.

Conservation groups have lauded the arrests and called for stricter penalties to deter poaching and trafficking, noting that elephant populations remain under threat due to illegal ivory trade.

Investigations are ongoing to trace the origin of the tusks and identify any other members involved in the trafficking ring.