Man jailed nine years over illegal wildlife shipment to US

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A Nairobi court has sentenced a man to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of forging wildlife export documents in a scheme linked to the illegal shipment of wildlife products to the United States.

Kibera Principal Magistrate Margaret Murage handed the sentence to Peter Omwangala Atepe after convicting him of several offences under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.

The court heard that Atepe forged official wildlife permits and falsified export documentation in an attempt to facilitate the shipment of wildlife products from Kenya to the United States.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that the accused prepared a forged CITES import licence intended to make the export appear legitimate.

The products involved in the case included items derived from northern deer, elk and peacock feathers.

Case triggered by US investigation

Investigations into the scheme began after wildlife protection authorities in the United States requested cooperation from Kenya through a Mutual Legal Assistance request.

The request followed the arrest of Atepe’s suspected accomplice in the United States. Kenyan investigators later traced and arrested Atepe locally.

While he faced prosecution in Kenya, the accomplice was prosecuted in the US.

Case filed in 2019

The prosecution told the court that the case was first filed in 2019, but the proceedings faced delays and attempts to derail the trial.

The first witness eventually testified in 2024, making it one of the oldest wildlife crime cases that had been pending before the court.

Despite those challenges, the prosecution, led by Principal Prosecution Counsel Mr Michael Mutune, pursued the matter to completion.

Court satisfied with prosecution evidence

In her ruling, Ms Murage said the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The court found that the accused had forged wildlife documentation and official permits to facilitate the illegal export of wildlife products.

The magistrate then imposed a total custodial sentence of nine years.