Conservancy researcher arrested selling ivory

Robert Ntawasa (left) and Susan Soila at Kibera Law Courts where they denied charges of being in possesion of six pieces of ivory with a street value of Sh1.9 million at Emali area, Kajiado County. They were each released on a cash bail of Sh200,000. [PHOTO: EVANS HABIL/STANDARD]

By Renson Nyamwezi and Isaiah Lucheli

Nairobi,Kenya:KWS personnel disguise as willing buyers of the tusks with a street value of Sh1.9 million

A senior researcher with a Non-Governmental Organisation has been arrested in connection with poaching activities in the country.

The suspect, Soila Sayialel, who is the Deputy Director, Amboseli Elephant Research project (AERP) and her son Robert Ntawasa , were arrested by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) intelligence personnel while selling six pieces of ivory weighing about 19 kilogrammes.

The KWS personnel said the researcher who is also a KWS honorary warden of Amboseli National Park was transporting the trophies at the time of arrest at Emali town along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

According to KWS, the official was arrested on Sunday while trying to dispose of the trophies in the town.

“KWS personnel disguised themselves as ivory buyers and in the process arrested the suspect and detained the vehicle she used to transport the elephant tusks,” said a senior KWS official.

“The NGO (AERP) has been accusing KWS of failing to stamp out widespread subsistence and commercial poaching. We have later discovered that it is the one perpetrating the vice,” said a KWS official in the region.

The arrest comes at a time when the Government is still grappling with increased cases of poaching among other wildlife related crimes.

Paul Mbugua, Assistant Director and KWS spokesman confirmed the arrest and said the suspect would be taken to court once investigations were complete.

Speaking to The Standard from Nairobi yesterday, the director said the arrest was a major breakthrough in the fight against poaching.

“It is true we have arrested a senior member of a conservation trust and we will take her to court once we are through with our investigations,” said Mr Mbugua.

He at the same time said KWS has launched investigations into the activities of the Trust operating in Amboseli National Park.

“We have launched investigations into the activities of the Trust and once we find that it is engaging in wildlife related crimes then action will be taken against it,” warned Mbugua.

Meanwhile, the two were arraigned before Kibera Senior Principal Magistrate Daniel Ochenjo where they faced three counts but they denied all of them and were released on a Sh500,000 bond.

The charges included being in possession of Government trophies and the second charge was dealing with the trophies without a dealers’ license while the third was failing to make a report of the trophies to the authorities.

The lawyer representing the accused Philip Murgor while applying for bail for his clients told the Magistrate that the director had been dealing in the conservation of wildlife for over 27 years and added that there was no way she could deal in the trophies.

Murgor submitted that KWS officials had planted the tasks in her company car leading to the arrest. The hearing of the suit was set for June 17.