Five people among them two women were arraigned in a Narok court where they were charged with dealing with wildlife trophies without a valid permit from the director general of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) or other lawful exemptions.
The five Paul Mosonik, Paul Mutai, Cornelius Rotich, Beatrice Chelangat and Caroline Chebet were arrested on January 7, 2025 at Mulot trading centre where they were found dealing in four pieces of elephant tusks weighing 36.55 kilograms.
The tusks are said to have been concealed in a green sack and with a street value of Sh3.19 million.
The court heard that at the time of arrest, the five did not have a valid permit from the director general KWS despite elephants being categorized as endangered species under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.
The five suspects pleaded not guilty before Narok Principal Magistrate Phyillis Shinyanda. However, they were not released on bond as the prosecution team led by Principal state counsel Peninnah Mwaniki argued that they were a flight risk who could flee to the neighbouring country, Tanzania.
The pre-bail ruling will be made on January 21, 2025.
By Ann Salaton
