A police officer serving as an aide to a Cabinet Secretary was among four Administration Police (AP) officers arraigned in court on Tuesday, after they were nabbed in possession of ivory.
The four, all of whom are attached to senior government officials, were arrested in Nairobi-West on Monday as they attempted to sell five kilogrammes of elephant tusk.
They included: Corporal Francis K. Karanja, who is attached to a Cabinet Secretary as a driver, Constable Peter Kuria Kimungi, attached to a former Cabinet minister’s security detail, Constable Martin M. Marangu, currently protecting a Principal Secretary and Corporal Stephen Chege Ngawai, who is also attached to a Principal Secretary's administration.
The four suspects were arraigned at Kibera Law Courts to face charges of being in possession of a wildlife trophy. However, they denied the charges before Kibera Resident Magistrate Charles Ondieki.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) also detained a government-owned vehicle that was being used by the officers.
The arrest of the four cops comes amid stiffer penalties - longer jail terms and hefty fines - for wildlife poaching or trafficking in Kenya.
Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta is on April 30, scheduled to oversee the burning of a 120-tonne stockpile of ivory in Nairobi National Park, organised by the KWS and supported by the Stop Ivory charity.
The destruction of the ivory will mark the climax of a summit, involving African Heads of State, conservation experts, philanthropists and corporate leaders including Richard Branson, that Kenyatta has set for April 29-30.
The historic gathering named the Giants Club, aims at tackling the elephant poaching crisis.
