Kenyan security officers have detained two suspected poachers and recovered 14 pieces of ivory in Busia County near the border with Uganda.
Busia deputy divisional police commander Stephen Kimunya said the two suspects — a Kenyan and a Ugandan — who were arrested Thursday evening had sneaked 26 kg of ivory from Uganda in search of a market in neighboring Kenya.
Kimunya said the police received information shared in confidence by a member of the public before a joint police and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) team stopped the two as they tried to escape on a motorbike.
“Police and KWS officers are working with other stakeholders to put in place mechanisms including enhanced community education, interagency collaboration and intensive intelligence led operations to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching,” Kimunya told journalists in Busia town.
The two suspects are in police custody pending court charges.
Kenya remains an important link on trade routes to international destinations for illicit consignments of wildlife products and particularly ivory due to its vibrant ports of Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, and Mombasa seaport.
