By Vitalis Kimutai

It looked like a scene straight out of Meja Mwangi’s book, Bush Trackers.

A bloated carcass of an elephant lay in a grotesque pile, across a path overgrown with thick grass in Rimoi Game Reserve, Keiyo District. It had been lying there for at least four weeks, judging from the advanced stage of decomposition. Its tusks had been yanked out and only part of its twisted trunk and exposed skull gave an indication of its size, a medium-sized elephant according to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers.

The scene, encountered on a recent sultry afternoon, by journalists on a guided tour by KWS, was a glaring indicator that things were badly wrong in this game reserve in the picturesque Kerio Valley.

Reports of poaching and devastating human and wildlife conflict had been reaching authorities in Eldoret, prompting the media fact-finding excursion.

Rimoi Game Reserve, hardly known outside the tourism stakeholders’ circles, has no tourist lodge within its precincts and attracts very few tourists.

Unlike other game reserves and national parks, which feature wheel tracks made by tour vans, here only animal tracks indicate it is a wildlife sanctuary.

The reserve has for long been dogged by problems mainly human and wildlife conflict, poaching and poor road infrastructure.

Poachers’ den

The dubious distinction of the park as a poachers’ den with no roads has made many travel agencies avoid taking visitors there.

This is despite the fact that the reserve hosts about 200 elephants and wide range of predators and grazing species.

KWS has sustained a campaign to eliminate poaching but poachers have devised clever ways of felling elephants for their tusks.

Rangers said the poachers climb trees under which the elephants seek shelter from the sweltering Kerio Valley heat and use poisoned spears to strike the animals.

During the tour by journalists, villagers claimed eight elephants had been killed lately, although the KWS insisted only two had been felled.

Journalists, guided on foot by armed rangers, were shown two carcasses but could not advance deep into the reserve owing to the danger posed by elephants agitated by the killing of their species.

Residents had accused KWS of laxity, claiming rangers had allowed poachers to pitch tent in the game reserve.

"These officers rarely patrol the game reserve. Poachers have dug caves in the reserve where they stay as they hunt the elephants, causing them to run into farmlands," lamented Michael Kipsalgong.

Last year, villagers and civic leaders in Keiyo demonstrated against the release of three suspected poachers who killed the said eight elephants.

Three suspected poachers were arrested near the reserve last month with a car laden with pieces of ivory stuffed in the boot.

Suspicious characters

"Members of the public in Kolowa area informed us that a Toyota Prado had been seen leaving the area with suspicious characters. A contingent of regular and Administration policemen from neighbouring police posts blocked and arrested them" said Moses Omurambi, KWS officer-in-charge of Keiyo, Uasin Gishu and Marakwet districts.

The KWS officers said the game trophies were harvested from young elephants.

Traders in the industry are said to have resorted to using hired four-wheel-drive vehicles to transport the illegal booty out of the game reserves.

"Sleek four-wheel SUV vehicles have lately been spotted around remote villages surrounding the game reserve in what leads to suspicion that poachers or dealers in game trophies have agents in the area," Omurambi said.

Sources confided that a senior administrator in the district tried in vain to secure the release of the suspects from custody.

"The administrator drove to the scene and tried to convince the arresting officers to let the suspects go or to transfer them to Iten Police Station but the KWS officers did not budge," said a source who was present at the scene.

Interestingly, a set of traders from Eldoret and Kabarnet reportedly drove to the scene of arrest in two different taxis after the suspects were hauled into custody and they conferred with the administrator.

Release suspects

It was alleged that the traders offered Sh50,000 to the KWS officers to release the suspects, a move which was rejected.

As a result, KWS officers transferred the suspects and their trophies to Nakuru to avoid investigations into the possibility of being compromised.

All were charged and have been out on bond.

Police and KWS sources said it was suspected traders have been involved in the illegal trade in Kitale, Samburu, Marakwet, Turkana and Baringo regions where poaching has surged in recent days.