A 50-year-old man was arrested with 24 kilos of elephant tusks in an operation in Ndaragwa, Nyandarua County on the evening of Sunday May 10.
The elephant tusks were valued at Sh2.4 million at the time of the seizure by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel.
The suspect told the police and KWS personnel that he was waiting to be picked up for a meeting with a potential buyer when he was confronted.
He was taken to custody pending arraignment.
Police said the suspect will be charged with the offence of being in Possession of Wildlife Trophies of Endangered Species Contrary to Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.
This is the latest seizure of ivory to be made in a series reported over the past few months.
This indicates elephants are being killed despite stringent measures in place to address the menace of poaching.
Elephant tusks fetch a fortune in the black market. A surge in demand for ivory in the East continues to fuel the illicit trade of elephant tusks. Most of these elephant tusks come from Africa.
Officials say despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
As part of efforts to stop the menace, Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment. These include drones, to track poachers and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos.
Kenya Wildlife Service and stakeholders have also put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
These mechanisms include enhanced community education, interagency collaboration, and intensive intelligence-led operations, among others.
These efforts led to zero rhino poaching in Kenya in 2020-the first time in about two decades.
On April 30, 2016, Kenya set ablaze 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta led world leaders and conservationists in burning the remains of elephants and rhinos killed for their tusks and horn.
Parliament has also passed strict anti-poaching laws. The government has also beefed up security at parks to stop poaching, which threatens the vital tourism industry.
Regionally, Kenya has also emerged as a major transit route for ivory destined for Asian markets from eastern and central Africa.
The illegal ivory trade is mostly fueled by demand in Asia and the Middle East. There, elephant tusks and rhino horns are used to make ornaments and traditional medicines.
