Former KWS ranger jailed 12 years for killing buffalo, rhino

A former Kenya Wildlife Service ranger turned poacher has been jailed for 12 years for killing a buffalo, a rhino and harvesting the endangered species’ horns.

Mohammed Hussein Warsame was yesterday convicted by Nanyuki Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku after he was found guilty of committing the crime at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia County.

Warsame had denied killing a rhino and stealing the two horns worth Sh5 million on the nights of June 29 and June 30 in 2011 with other accomplices.

Deserting duty

The magistrate ruled that “the court was alive to the fact that poaching was a serious crime that is taking a global trend and was threatening Kenya’s wildlife that was a big tourist attraction and therefore the crime warranted a stiff penalty.”

Warsame had pleaded not guilty to two other counts of hunting and killing game namely a rhino and a buffalo within the conservancy.

Magistrate Thuku sentenced him two years in jail for the first count, seven years for the second count and three years for the third count and ordered that the sentences run consecutively.

Warsame was dismissed from KWS in July 2009 for deserting duty at Tsavo East National Park.

In the two-year trial, the prosecution lined up 10 witnesses who linked the accused to the crime. Warsame remained silent when asked to mitigate.