Man arrested for keeping snakes, tortoises at home

Snake handlers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) display one of the two pythons at the Diani Police Station which were recovered from a residential house in Msambweni, May 17, 2015. The officers also recovered twenty-two tortoises and eight different kinds of snakes. The owner was arrested and he will be taken to court today (Monday) to be charged with keeping wildlife reptiles in his residential house without a permit from the KWS. (PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD)

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers at Msambweni in Kwale have impounded several snakes and tortoises which were being reared illegally by a man.

The officers also arrested a 50-year-old resident of Mwamanga village for rearing the reptiles without a permit.

Among the recovered reptiles were four pythons, two speed cobras, three puff adders, two boomlangs, two green spotted mambas and 24 tortoises.

Msambweni OCPD Joseph Omijah said the suspect will be arraigned in court today.

"This is illegal because the man did not have any written permission to keep these reptiles. This is a danger not only to himself but even to the community living around," he said.

Mwamanga is famous for its many snake charmers who domesticate snakes to attract tourists for money.

The incident comes a few months after a popular snake charmer, Mr Hamisi Chiboga, widely known as Manyoka, almost died after he was bitten by one of his snakes.

As he lay scared on the brink of death, Manyoka admitted rearing the snakes for good and sinister reasons, including witchcraft.

"Lies don't last forever but the truth is that the green mamba that bit me was actually mine. I... will reveal everything," he told The Standard then.

Manyoka said he had been using black magic in his work. He said before rearing snakes, one is usually given a special charm.

Manyoka has a permit from KWS to rear the snakes.

Apart from snakes, Manyoka also keeps chameleons, tortoise, crocodiles and the so-called magical plants.