By Murugi Ndwiga, Eastern Region
In a major blow to the illegal ivory trade, five suspected wildlife traffickers have been arrested and 13 elephant tusks recovered in a sweeping crackdown across Eastern Kenya.
The suspects were nabbed in two separate sting operations led by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and National Police Service, highlighting a renewed and aggressive push to stamp out poaching networks threatening the region’s dwindling elephant population.
In Mbeere South, detectives intercepted three traffickers — Michael Kariuki Kithaka, 44, Morris Kariuki Njuki, 45, and Margaret Syombua Mutua, 46 — at the Siakago-Kiritiri Junction. The trio was caught red-handed transporting six elephant tusks weighing 48 kilograms, hidden in two gunny bags.
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The suspects were quickly arraigned at Siakago Law Courts and charged with possession and illegal trade in trophies from a protected species. They remain in custody until June 11, 2025, pending further investigations and a pre-bail report.
Just hours earlier in Meru town, two other suspects were caught with seven tusks weighing 14 kilograms along Nchuri Ncheke Street. This bust followed a targeted operation by KWS officers and local police, underscoring the scale of illicit ivory trafficking in the region.
The arrests send a strong message to the poachers — the days of poachers and traffickers operating with impunity are numbered, this is according to KWS officials. They said, they will work closely with the National Police Service and close in on every link on this crime.
Eastern Kenya, particularly Meru and Embu counties, has become a hotbed for wildlife crimes, owing to its proximity to protected reserves. Conservationists warn that the relentless demand for ivory is pushing elephant populations to the brink and undermining national conservation gains.
With 13 tusks seized in just one day, authorities say the fight is far from over — but the momentum is building.
KWS is calling on the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to wildlife trafficking. Protecting elephants is not just a conservation issue — it’s a national duty, the KWS officials noted.