Migori man found with elephant tusks weighing 54kgs arraigned

MIGORI, Kenya, Dec, 16 – A man suspected to be part of an ivory smuggling syndicate was Wednesday arraigned at the Migori High Court for allegedly smuggling ivory worth Sh5.4 million.

The suspect, Joseph Matoiga was arrested by officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service at Gwitembe village in Migori after being found in possession of the illegally acquired ivory.

Upon his arrest, the suspect refused to reveal to the officers where the ivory was destined to be delivered.

Police however revealed that the syndicate has been smuggling the illegal ivory in Tanzania, Uganda and other countries across the East Africa region.

Appearing before Principal Magistrate Moses Obiero, the court heard that the suspect was found in possession of elephant tusk weighing 54 kilograms.

While taking plea, he pleaded guilty to two counts of being in possession of the the ivory and dealing in wildlife trophy trade of endangered species without a permit.

He however rejected the third count of failure to comply with lawful order contrary to section 101 of the Wildlife conservation and management Act.

The prosecution meanwhile sought from the court permission to detain the suspect for further days and that he be denied bail in order to complete investigations.

The suspect will now remain remain in police custody until December 21 where the court will rule on whether he will be granted bail pending hearing and determining of the case.