Police in Kajiado have arrested a boda boda rider found in possession of ivory products and elephant tusks with a street value of Sh10 million.
Acting on a tip off, a multi-agency team led by County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) Isaac Meme waylaid the suspect, Dennis Maheli Alina, along the Nairobi- Namanga highway as he was ferrying the trophies on his motorbike to a prospective buyer in Kajiado town.
Meme said upon interrogation, the rider revealed that he frequently transports the trophies for his client from Nairobi where he hands them over to a buyer in Kajiado.
“We managed to arrest the rider and he said he transports the elephant tusks and ivory products frequently for his client from Nairobi to Kajiado. The trophies are then smuggled out of the country for sale in China, Vietnam and Indonesia where there is a huge and ready market for the commodities,” he said.
The CCIO said cases of poaching have been on the increase in the last few months and called on the public to be vigilant and report any suspected cases to the authorities for action to be taken.
The incident comes barely a week after police in Kitengela nabbed two suspects found in possession of ivory worth Sh500,000.
The two suspects; Isaiah Juma Babu, a 66 year old foreign national and Julius Oloo Omolo, a Kenyan, were arrested at a hotel in Kitengela town while they were waiting to hand over the trophies to the buyer.
Meme said the buyer, who is a senior Government official managed to escape their dragnet and was being sought.
The suspects had cut the ivory into five small pieces and concealed them in a 50 kilograms sack containing maize.
On the same day the two suspects were arrested, police in Enkorika, Nashukuru sub-county intercepted a motorcycle ferrying 300 kilograms of game meat.
The meat suspected to be of zebras, dik diks, giraffes and antelopes was being transported for sale in Kajiado town.
Three suspects ferrying the meat however managed to escape arrest on foot leaving the game meat behind.
Last month, five suspects, including a deputy head teacher of a local primary school, were charged at a Kajiado court with illegal possession of 18kilograms of elephant tasks with a street value of Sh1.8 million.
By Rop Janet
