Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for possessing elephant tusks, a leopard skin and a cheetah skin without lawful authorisation in Malindi, Kilifi County.
Nzai Kazungu Nzai and Nzai Ruwa Kapombe were convicted by Senior Principal Magistrate Joy Shiundu Wesonga after the prosecution proved the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that the two were found with nine pieces of elephant tusks weighing 5.8 kilogrammes, valued at Sh580,000, alongside one leopard skin and one cheetah skin. The trophies were recovered on January 17, 2025, when Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers intercepted a motorcycle, registration number KMFP 849U, at a Shell petrol station near Naivas Supermarket in Malindi.
The men, who were travelling as the rider and passenger, were carrying luggage wrapped in a polythene sheet and secured with nylon straps. A search conducted in their presence led to the discovery of the wildlife trophies concealed in a white and yellow sack.
According to the prosecution, the two men did not have permits or lawful exemptions authorising them to possess the recovered items.
In her judgment, Magistrate Wesonga ruled that the prosecution had established its case through the testimony of five witnesses. She dismissed the defence presented by the accused, finding that it did not raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s evidence.
The two were convicted of possessing endangered wildlife trophies without a permit or lawful exemption, contrary to Section 92(4), as read with Section 105 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act. The court ordered each convict to pay a fine of Sh20 million, with life imprisonment as the default sentence.
It further directed that the recovered exhibits be handed over to KWS for safe custody or destruction in accordance with the law.
The convicts have 14 days to exercise their right of appeal.
