Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga has called for stronger international cooperation to dismantle transnational criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, warning that the trade is becoming increasingly sophisticated and is often linked to corruption, money laundering and other organised crimes.
Mr. Ingonga said wildlife trafficking had evolved beyond the illegal trade in iconic species such as elephants and rhinoceroses, with criminal networks increasingly targeting reptiles, rare plants and marine species while exploiting international transport and financial systems.
He spoke in Nairobi when he officially opened the 10th Wildlife Inter-regional Enforcement Conference, a three-day meeting convened by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) at Argyle Hotel.
The conference brings together Attorney General of Sri Lanka Hon. Parinda Ranasinghe, investigators, prosecutors, customs officials and wildlife enforcement authorities from different countries to strengthen cross-border collaboration in combating wildlife crime.
Citing UNODC findings, Mr. Ingonga said more than 140,000 wildlife seizures were recorded in 162 countries and territories between 2015 and 2021, involving approximately 4,000 species.
He said the figures demonstrated the scale and diversity of wildlife trafficking, warning that its impact extended beyond the animals seized to the destruction of ecosystems, loss of community livelihoods and the financing of criminal enterprises.
“Behind every seizure lies a larger story. There is an animal removed from its habitat, a community deprived of its natural heritage, and often a criminal enterprise profiting from both,” he said.
The DPP cited a December 2025 operation involving authorities in Singapore and South Africa, which led to the discovery of a shipment containing 55.4 kilogrammes of rhinoceros horns and other animal parts in Johannesburg, resulting in arrests.
He said the operation illustrated the importance of timely intelligence sharing and coordinated investigations, adding that criminal networks often operate across several jurisdictions and exploit gaps in law enforcement cooperation.
“Information must move across borders before criminals do,” he said.
Mr. Ingonga further warned that traffickers were increasingly exploiting digital platforms, encrypted communications and electronic payment systems to conceal their activities. He said some networks also manipulated wildlife permits, concealed illegal products in legitimate cargo and used financial systems to move criminal proceeds.
He called for investigations and prosecutions to incorporate digital evidence, wildlife forensics and financial intelligence, urging investigators and prosecutors to work together from the early stages of investigations.
The DPP emphasised that enforcement efforts should go beyond intercepting illegal wildlife products to identifying and prosecuting the financiers, organisers and corrupt facilitators behind trafficking networks.
He also highlighted the emerging challenge of biopiracy, involving the exploitation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge without appropriate consent or fair benefit sharing. He cited concerns surrounding biological resources from Lake Bogoria and disputes over patents relating to the traditional uses of India’s neem tree.
He called for careful application of the law to protect legitimate scientific research while ensuring respect for consent, provenance and equitable benefit sharing.
Mr. Ingonga reaffirmed the ODPP’s commitment to strengthening prosecution-guided investigations, improving evidence handling and facilitating international legal assistance in wildlife crime cases.
He urged participating countries to establish stronger professional networks, improve intelligence sharing and strengthen mechanisms for asset restraint, confiscation and forfeiture to ensure that perpetrators do not retain proceeds of their crimes.
He said protecting wildlife was both a constitutional obligation and a responsibility to future generations, noting that Kenya’s Constitution guarantees every person the right to a clean and healthy environment.
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