Ugandan man arrested with Sh4.2m elephant tusks

A Ugandan man was arrested in Busia County on Thursday after he was found with 42kg of elephant tusks worth Sh4.2 million. ($40,000 USD *Averagely)

Mr Joseph Denda was arrested by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), who had been tipped off.

He was apprehended at Marachi estate in Matayos Constituency, where 35kg of bones of an unknown value were also found.

SYNDICATE

County police boss John Nyoike said Mr Denda had been transporting the ivory, cut into small pieces, to an unknown location.

Police believe the elephant trophies were sneaked into the country from Uganda.

The suspect spent the night in police custody pending his arraignment over what police say could be an ivory trafficking syndicate at the border.

CONFLICT

Meanwhile, the police boss warned residents against attacking animals, following an incident in Teso South in which a crowd killed a hippo that had strayed from River Sio.

“In the event a wild animal is seen in a residential area, residents should alert KWS officers,” Mr Nyoike said.

He said that these officers had been sent to Funyula, Malaba, Busia town and parts of Kakamega, for the sake of quick action when such incidents take place.