Hotel meeting turns into Sh11m tusk raid
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The suspects were believed to be closing a deal with a prospective buyer at Mufassa Hotel.
A routine hotel gathering quickly turned dramatic on Sunday in Namanga, when a multi-agency team from the National Police Service (NPS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) swooped on suspected wildlife traffickers, seizing elephant tusks valued at about Sh11 million.
The suspects were believed to be closing a deal with a prospective buyer at Mufassa Hotel in Namanga when officers, acting on intelligence, moved in.
Two of the traffickers--Tanzanian national Imani Manasi Msumbwa and Kenyan Alton Jilaoneka--were arrested at the scene.
A third, Tanzanian Justin Mwalima, slipped away just as the raid began and is now being sought.
A senior officer involved in the operation said: “At the first sign of police presence, one suspect ran. We are actively tracking him.”
The arrested suspects led officers to their vehicles parked nearby. In a Toyota Mark X, registration T476 DHS, officers recovered 20 elephant tusks weighing about 110 kilogrammes hidden in the boot.
A Nissan Fairlady, registration T305 EFM, contained a weighing machine, highlighting the commercial nature of the operation.
“The equipment shows this was a planned and organised activity, not a casual transaction,” the officer said.
The suspects, together with the tusks and vehicles, were taken to Namanga Police Station for processing ahead of arraignment.
Officials said government was focused on intelligence-led approach to combat wildlife trafficking and protect Kenya’s endangered species along key border towns.
