Man, 53, arrested with 11 pieces of elephant tusks in Kilifi

Police are holding a 53-year-old man after he was found in possession of 11 elephant tusks weighing 55kg.

Changawa Kaisha was nabbed on Tuesday at Chapungu village in Kaloleni, Kilifi County, by detectives from Directorate of Criminal Investigations in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service officers. He will be charged once investigations are complete.

The recovery of 11 tusks indicates more than five elephants could have been killed. This is the latest such recovery in a series of campaign aimed at tackling poaching.

Last month, two other suspects were arrested in Kilifi and tusks worth Sh1.9 million recovered. Kenya has been identified as one of the leading transit routes for smuggling of ivory out of Africa. There have been several incidents of ivory seizures and recovery of wildlife carcasses in recent times.

The arrest comes at a time when various agencies are still investigating the March 2017 seizure of ivory weighing 117kg in Hanoi, Vietnam. The seizure was traced to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Recent trends show that the far eastern countries continue to present a lucrative market for ivory.