Kenya’s Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Kioko Kamula on Monday (June 30th) called on the judiciary to impose hefty prison sentences on foreigners found exporting rhino horns and elephant ivory from the country.
He said the fines imposed on foreigners were not sufficient to curb the threat from poaching, Kenya’s Daily Nation reported.
“I urge judicial officers to impose custodial sentences, particularly in high-value cases involving foreigners, as the crime has reached alarming levels,” Kamula said at a training workshop on environmental and wildlife-related crimes.
Fines allow perpetrators to go free and possibly re-offend, he said.
“Explore ways to enhance consistency and uniformity in sentences handed down. As investigators and prosecutors, we are committed to robustly prosecuting environmental and wildlife crimes,” he said.