Two Kenyans have been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for unlawfully possessing four elephant tusks weighing 24.9 kilograms with a market value of Ksh2.49.
The two Moriati Ole Kimore and Lepapa Saruni were handed the jail term by Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, following a successful conviction by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The conviction follows their apprehension on August 28, 2024, in the Ntarara area of Kajiado South Sub-County. The two were intercepted while transporting the ivory on a motorcycle and nabbed by a Serious Crimes Unit working under a multi-agency task force comprising various national security agencies.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Paula Rono from the ODPP, presented compelling evidence linking the accused to the unlawful possession and transportation of ivory.
Kenya has, in recent years, intensified efforts to curb the unlawful trade and poaching of its extensive flora and fauna.
On April 14, four individuals, including two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and trade in live queen ants.
The two Belgians were arraigned before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts after being nabbed on April 5, 2025, at a guest house in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County, while in possession of live queen ants.
In a separate case, a Vietnamese national and a Kenyan confederate were charged with unlawful possession and trade of around 400 live queen ants, valued at Ksh200,000.
On April 23, ODPP called on the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) court to impose a severe sentence on the four people, including three foreigners, who pleaded guilty to smuggling 5,000 queen ants with a market price of Ksh1.2 million.
The request, which came ahead of their sentencing on May 7, was made because of the implications smuggling would have on Kenya's ecosystem.
Queen ants are highly valuable, with common species going for between Ksh200 and Ksh1,000, while the larger, rarer species are Ksh1,500 and Ksh5,000, and highly exotic or difficult-to-catch queens sell for between Ksh6,000 and Ksh15,000.
In 2018, another Vietnamese national in a case similar to this was nabbed at the JKIA with eight lion canine teeth, three lion claws, and two warthog teeth.
In 2023, three culprits were arraigned and charged with the unlawful exportation of safari ants worth Ksh300,000 to France.
