At least five police officers were injured in an operation to recover elephant tusks in a village in Baringo.
This is after they were attacked by arrows by suspected poachers who were escaping to avoid being arrested in Kabutei village on June 2, evening, police said.
A suspected poacher carrying four elephant tusks weighing 67 kilos was arrested in the operation while his accomplices managed to escape.
Police said the undercover team had been tipped off some people had the ivory that they planned to sell prompting the operation.
The team had to shoot into the air to scare the group armed with bows and arrows.
Baringo police boss Julius Kiragu said the injured officers were attended at local hospitals and discharged while the suspect was detained ahead of planned arraignment.
Police said the suspect will be charged with being in Possession of Wildlife Trophies of Endangered Species Contrary to Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.
Officials said the seizure shows up to two elephants had been killed and there is a likelihood the incidents happened in the nearby parks.
Elephant tusks fetch a fortune in the black market as a surge in demand for ivory in the East continues to fuel the illicit trade in elephant tusks, especially from Africa.
Officials say despite a ban on the international ivory trade, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
As part of efforts to stop the menace, Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment, including drones, to track poachers and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos.
Kenya Wildlife Service and stakeholders have put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
These mechanisms include enhanced community education, interagency collaboration, and intensive intelligence-led operations, among others.
These efforts led to zero rhino poaching in Kenya in 2020-the first time in about two decades. At least 20,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa for their ivory.
