Three arrested in Eldoret with Sh3m ivory
Eldoret West police boss Samuel Mutunga (second right) and other officers display pieces of ivory seized by detectives in Eldoret on May 9, 2017. PHOTO | DENNIS LUBANGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- They were arrested late Monday in Eastleigh estate in Eldoret.
- Eldoret West Police boss Samuel Mutunga described the seizure as a major breakthrough in the fight against poaching in the country.
Three people have been arrested in Eldoret with 30 kilograms of ivory valued at Sh3 million.
Detectives from the Kenya Police and their Kenya Wildlife Service counterparts apprehended the suspects following a tip.
They were arrested late Monday in in Eldoret.
Eldoret West Police boss Samuel Mutunga said the suspects were arrested in the town's Eastleigh estate and were being held at the Eldoret Police Station and will be taken to court Wednesday as the search for other suspects continues.
“This is a serious offence. We don’t know where this ivory was being transported from and where it was being taken.
"But from the look of things, they had been buried awaiting transportation,” Mr Mutunga told journalists at the police station.
He said the ivory was found in a saloon car.
He described the seizure as a major breakthrough in the fight against poaching in the country.
“Such business is a big blow to the tourism sector and the national economy at large,” said Mr Mutunga.
In 2014, Eldoret police seized a consignment of ivory weighing 152 kilograms, with an estimated market value of Sh15 million.
The vehicle transporting the contraband, which was heading from Nairobi to Kampala, Uganda, was intercepted by police at Maili Nne, on the outskirts of Eldoret.
A Kenyan national and a Ugandan were arrested.
