Three charged for possessing ivory worth Sh2m

Three people were yesterday arraigned before a Chuka court charged with possessing 10kgs of ivory worth Sh2 million.

The prosecution said Silah Nyaga Mugo, Joshua Miriti and Jumbe Nkoroi were nabbed at Muthenge in Maara sub-county, Tharaka Nithi County.

They denied the charges before senior resident magistrate Catherine Obara saying they were victims of circumstances. The accused told the court that they had been given a ride in the vehicle used to ferry the ivory and did not know what the luggage was by the time of the arrest.

"We are wondering why the driver was not arrested yet he was the one carrying the contraband luggage," said Mugo. The prosecution said the three were tracked by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers, who posed as buyers from Nanyuki

They were released on a Sh2 million bond and a surety of similar amount. The case will be heard on October 7.