Two suspects including a junior police officer have been arrested in Naivasha trafficking 29 pieces of ivory worth Sh2.9m.
The duo was arrested by KWS officers along the Mai Mahiu-Narok road in a sting operation following a tip-off from members of the public.
This came as the government agency raised its concern over an increase in cases of ivory trafficking in the country noting that it was affecting wildlife conservation.
Last month, three suspects including a police officer were arrested in Kajiado while ferrying more than 20 pieces of ivory to Nairobi.
In the latest incident, the two suspects were waiting for a matatu along the road when KWS officers moved in and arrested them.
According to Francis Mutuko, KWS Senior Warden in charge of Naivasha, the 29 pieces had been parked in two bags when the suspects were nabbed.
He expressed his concern that among those arrested was a police officer who was supposed to be the custodian of the law.
“We have arrested two suspects including a junior police officer and recovered elephant tusks worth around Sh2.9m following a sting operation along the Mai Mahiu-Narok road,” he said.
While decrying the rise in cases of trafficking of ivory, he said that the two suspects would be handed over to DCIO officers for further interrogation before being arraigned in court.
Meanwhile, three people including two prominent Naivasha traders died following a grisly road accident involving three vehicles along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
The two men and one woman died on the spot while two others were seriously injured following the 10 pm accident near Marula farm 10kms from Naivasha town.
The five were heading to Naivasha town from Gilgil when their car was hit twice by two trailers heading in the opposite direction leading to the fatal accident.
Naivasha OCPD Stephen Kirui confirmed the accident adding that the drivers of the two trailers were also injured and admitted in Naivasha sub-county hospital.
“We had an accident involving a personal car and two trailers along the highway and we lost three people while four other people were admitted in hospital,” he said.
