Poachers kill two Kenya Wildlife Service rangers in Tana River County

By Paul Gitau

TANA RIVER, KENYA: Poachers have killed two Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) rangers in a fierce exchange of fire  that erupted at Kangawati forest in Kipini,Tana delta district in Tana river county when the security men tried to stop a poaching incident.

Besides killing the rangers the poachers also slew an elephant but lost a colleague. Reports show that after the shootout on Thursday evening authorities recovered an AK 47 rifle with 208 rounds of ammunition from the poachers.

On Friday, Tana Delta District Deputy County Commissioner Mr Mike Kimoko said the KWS rangers had received intelligence tip off that a group of about four poachers had killed an elephant inside the forest near Nairobi Ranch and decided to track them.

He said a fierce shootout erupted when the rangers encountered the poachers leading to killing of a  ranger and a poacher. 

The surviving poachers retreated but returned a few hours later to collect the body of their slain colleague

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"The officers thought the remaining poachers had fled from the forest and went back to collect the body of the slain ranger" Kimoko said adding that rangers ran into a trap.

"As the rangers were collecting the body the poachers ambushed them and managed to gun down another ranger," said Kimoko who added that the security men were forced to flee from the forest leaving behind the two bodies of their their colleagues.

Yesterday morning the rangers secured reinforcement to collect the two bodies and Kimoko said they recovered the bullets and rifle.

"As we are speaking we have dispatched a contingent of police officers to comb the forest," he further said.

A KWS flight is undertaking the air surveillance.

The Deputy County Commissioner said they will not relent until the poachers are apprehended.

"We have dispatched a contingent of heavily armed police officers and we will not retreat until the poachers are apprehended dead or alive," he declared.

The body of the poacher was later taken to Mpeketoni hospital mortuary while that of the two rangers were airlifted to a unknown mortuary.