Two suspected traffickers were arrested and elephant tusks weighing 15.7 kilogrammes recovered from them in a lodging they had booked in Kapenguria, West Pokot County.
The ivory was valued at Sh15.8 million, police said.
Police said the two had booked a room
in Ortum town while waiting for a potential buyer when they were busted.
The cargo was sealed in a black bag, police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials said of the November 24 incident.
They were detained at the local police station pending probe and prosecution.
The officials in the operation said they had been tipped off the traffickers were waiting for a buyer when they raided.
Police said the suspects will be charged with the offence of 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 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 in elephant tusks, 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 implemented
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 30,000 elephants are killed annually in
Africa for their ivory.
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 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.
