Two charged for illegal trade in elephant tusks

Elephant tusks valued at Sh5.1 million nabbed in Salawa area on January 31, 2021. [File, Standard]

Two men have been charged for dealing with wildlife trophies valued at Sh6 million.

Bosco Thoya Katana and Emmanuel Kazungu Birya, who appeared before Garsen Senior Principal Magistrate Jambi Wasige, denied the offence. They were arrested on September 15 at Minjila area, Makuti hotel in Tana Delta, with two pieces of elephant tusks weighing 62.42 kilogrammes.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers said the two were arrested following an intelligence report by a conservation group, Ulinzi Africa Foundation, that linked them to the illegal elephant tusk trade.

The tusks were escorted to the KWS offices in Garsen for safety as the suspects were remanded at the Garsen police station before being presented in court on Thursday.

One tusk weighed 32.42 kilograms and was 7.4 feet in length. The other weighed 30 kilograms at 6.5 feet and was ferried on a motorcycle.

The suspects were released on a cash bail of Sh500,000 each with an alternative of a Sh2 million bond each. The mention of the case will be on October 2, 2024.