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Police in Tharaka Nithi retrieved 11 elephant tusks and arrested four suspects in connection with the illegal trade on Tuesday.
The ivory worth Sh15 Million, suspected to have been poached from national parks around the country, was recovered in a semi-permanent house belonging to a man named David Njeru in Marimanti market, Tharaka constituency.
Confirming the incident, Tharaka Nithi County Commissioner Christopher Musumbu said the four suspects were devising ways of selling the ivory before they were intercepted by the police and KWS.
“They resisted arrest and wanted to shoot the police using poisonous arrows that they may have used for poaching,” Musumbu said.
He also said that they are are suspected to have been involved in major illegal ivory trade in Kenya and have been tracked by police and KWS.
He was speaking at the crime scene where residents had gathered.
He added that wildlife is a major source of revenue to the country and that the government will therefore relentlessly fight poachers.
“We must ensure our animals are safe for posterity. We won’t allow people to destroy our country’s precious heritage,” he said.
The suspects, currently being held for interrogation at Marimanti Police Station, will be arraigned in court and charged with the illegal possession of ivory on Wednesday.