Two Burundians charged with illegal possession of elephant tusks worth Sh12.6million

Two Burundian nationals were on Monday charged before a Mombasa court with illegal possession and trade in wildlife trophies, contrary to Kenya’s wildlife conservation laws.

The two, Gakiza Sulemani and Nkunubumwe Celecius, were arraigned before Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo and charged with dealing in 27 pieces of elephant tusks, which are classified by law as trophies from endangered species without the required permit.

At the time of arrest, Sulemani and Celecius had approximately 62.85 kilogrammes of elephant tusks valued at Sh12,570,000.

The court heard that the accused were apprehended yesterday at around 3:00 PM in the Miritini area of Mombasa County, following an intelligence-led operation by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers.

The suspects were reportedly in the area seeking potential buyers for the illicit wildlife products.

In addition to trafficking charges, they face a second count of possession of a wildlife trophy from an endangered species without a permit, in violation of Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013 (as amended).

Both suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Principal Prosecution Counsel Barbara Sombo urged the court to impose strict bond terms to ensure the accused remain available throughout the trial.

Further, she requested that sureties provide firm guarantees of the accused’s attendance in court.

Magistrate Odhiambo granted each accused a bond of Sh4 million, with one surety, and directed them to surrender their passports.

They must also provide two Kenyan contact persons as part of their bond conditions.

The case will be mentioned on August 20.

The arraignment of the two highlights Kenya’s ongoing efforts to curb the illegal trade in wildlife products, particularly elephant ivory, which remains a major driver of poaching across the region.