Mitumba seller denies hawking Sh100,000 snake skins

Kenya: A middle-aged mitumba trader is on trial for allegedly peddling python skins.

Police claim they arrested Peter Mutie with the remains of the snake in Embakasi valued at Sh100,000.

Police told the Makadara Court that the suspect was arrested in Pipeline after a tip off.

Mutie is alleged to have been looking for a buyer for the several pieces of python skins he had.

Police on patrol reportedly found Mutie busy selling second-hand clothes in a makeshift tent.

The prosecution said the police conducted a search and found a black polythene bag with the python skins hidden in the clothes.

When they asked the trader for a wildlife permit, he attempted to escape, police claim.

“The polythene bag was not mine, I don’t know who hid it near my stall. Maybe it belongs to street boys,” Mutie told the court as he denied the charge of keeping wildlife trophies.

He was released on a Sh400,000 bail or an alternative bond of Sh1 million.

His trial begins on October 21.