Kenya: Two Police Officers Deny Having Elephant Tusks, Out on Bond

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By James Wainaina and Ng'ang'a Thairu, The Star

Date Published
Two police officers were yesterday charged in a Thika court with having game trophies. David Kaibiru and Justus Kimathi are attached to Dog Unit section in Lang’ata and at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The two were intercepted at midnight last Friday at a roadblock near the Defunct Castle Breweries, one kilometre from Thika town with 12kgs of elephant tusk.

Kaibiru and Kimathi were arrested following a tip-off from Kenya Wildlife Service officials.

The KWS officials told police manning Thika superhighway that they suspected a white Toyota Noah KAZ 156X, headed to Nairobi from Meru, was ferrying game trophies.

The accused, who were occupants of the car, denied the charges before chief magistrate Stephen Mbungi. The officers’ lawyer Mbiu Kamau asked the court to release his clients on bond.

Mbungi released the two on a Sh1.5 million bond with a surety of a similar amount. The case will be heard on May 7.

At Gatundu court, a middle aged woman was charged with having wildlife trophy contrary to Section 95 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013.

The court heard that on May5 at Mundoro village in Gatundu, Kiambu county with others not before the court, Joyce Wanjiru was with 12 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 12kg worth Sh2.3 million without a certificate of ownership.

She denied the charges and was released on a Sh2 million bond with a surety of a similar amount.

The case will be heard on July 8.

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