Four suspected poachers arraigned in court in Voi
Claire Wanja, KBC
January 6, 2022
Four suspects were on Thursday charged at Voi Law Courts with illegal
possession of assorted wildlife trophies including sandalwood and elephants
tusks.
In the first count, Kasungwa Mulu, Jacob Shangala, Solomon Mwaluma and
Tangai Mwasi were charged with being in possession of 13 sacks of
sandalwood that weighed 287 kilograms.
The four were intercepted on Wednesday afternoon by Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS) officers at Manga area in Voi sub-county with the illicit cargo.
Three of the suspects namely Kasungwa Mulu, Jacob Shangala and Solomon
Mwaluma faced an additional count of being in possession of five pieces of
elephant tusks weighing 10.6kgs.
Appearing before Voi Chief Magistrate Mildred Obura, the four suspects
pleaded not guilty. Each of the suspects was released on a bond of Sh100,
000 with a surety of the similar amount or a cash bail of Sh50, 000 for
each count.
The mention will be on January 25, 2022.
Taita Taveta being host to Tsavo National Park has been a poaching hotspot
owing to the park’s vast size and terrain.
KWS officers have been collaborating with local communities and other
stakeholders to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly
poaching.
Though poaching and wildlife trafficking activities have significantly
reduced, the illegal trade in wildlife products such as game meat and tree
poaching still remains to be a worrying global threat.
Despite this challenge, wildlife conservationists and the government’s
stance on poaching and wildlife conservation has been consistently
no-nonsense.
https://www.kbc.co.ke/four-suspected-poachers-arraigned-in-court-in-voi/