The government has given a 21-day amnesty for anyone holding wildlife trophies without permit to surrender them to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials. The amnesty was announced yesterday by Environment and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Prof Judi Wakhungu.
The announcement came hours police impounded ivory worth Sh6.4 million that was in transit transit from Botswana to Thailand at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). “Those who take advantage of the amnesty will not punished,” she added.
The CS was speaking at the Nairobi National Park ivory burning site while launching the preparations for the burning of the largest ivory pile in the world on April 30. One hundred and five tonnes of ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horns will be burned at an event to be presided by President Uhuru Kenyatta alongside 10 other Heads of State to express solidarity with wildlife conservation efforts.
The event will come a day after the Giants Club Summit involving Kenya, Gabon and Botswana to address wildlife conservation measures in Nairobi. The CS said 135.7 tonnes of trophies have been seized with some being used as exhibits in court cases while 4,200 wildlife poaching and smuggling related arrests have been in the last three years.
She added that Kenya has developed four strategies to curb elephant poaching and illegal trade in ivory within and across borders such as implementation of the National Ivory Action Plan stipulates heavy penalties to deter the crime.