- The three were in a car along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway at Thenge area, when police officers intercepted it.
- The tusks weighed about 20 kilos, police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials said of the June 4 incident.
Nine suspects were arrested in multi-agency operations targeting poachers and elephant tusks valued at Sh7 million recovered from them.
The operations were separately staged in Kaloleni and Kibwezi, police said.
The first incident happened when the team seized two pieces of elephant tusks and four live terrapins in Kaloleni area, Kilifi county.
Six people were arrested at Kaloleni Shopping Centre after a tip-off from citizens that there were suspected wildlife traffickers in the area.
The suspects were taken to Mariakani police station awaiting transfer to Nairobi for further processing and arraignment on Monday, police said.
Elsewhere, three suspected poachers were arrested and eight pieces of elephant tusks valued at Sh2 million recovered from their car in Kibwezi, Makueni county.
The three were in a car along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway at Thenge area, when police officers intercepted it.
The tusks weighed about 20kgs, police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials said of the June 4 incident.
The tusks were detained at the KWS Chyuklu Hills National Park office.
Police said the suspects will be charged with being in possession of wildlife trophies of endangered species contrary to the law.
Officials said the seizure shows up to four 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, especially from Africa.
Officials say despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, 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.
KWS 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.
This translates to 55 elephants killed daily or one elephant killed every 26 minutes with a population of 35,000 elephants.
On April 30, 2016, Kenya set ablaze 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn. Former president Uhuru Kenyatta led world leaders and conservationists in burning the remains of 6,500 elephants and 450 rhinos killed for their tusks and horn.
Parliament has also passed strict anti-poaching laws and the government has beefed up security at parks to stop poaching, which threatens the vital tourism industry.
Regionally, Kenya has also emerged as a major transit route for ivory destined for the Asian markets from eastern and central Africa.
The illegal ivory trade is mostly fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhino horns are used to make ornaments and traditional medicines.