Raila declares all-out war on poachers, orders crackdown

A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger shows elephant tusks intercepted from poachers. Photo/FILE

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called for a crackdown on poachers.

The PM said there was need for a coordinated, well-financed operation to rid the country of poachers.

“This must involve the police, Tourism ministry, Interpol and other ministries whose functions relate to wildlife and natural resources,” Mr Odinga said in a statement.

“Our wildlife, which is one of our most important sources of income, and almost the sole source of our earnings from tourism, has come under serious assault from poachers in recent days,” he said.

“We lost at least 360 elephants last year, one of the highest recorded numbers in recent years. This was an increase from 289 elephants killed in 2011. The danger seems to be worsening with every passing day,” he said.

He said while poaching in Kenya was clearly part of a growing global surge fuelled by the huge demand for ivory in Asia, “we have a duty to secure our wildlife for posterity and our economic well-being.”

“We must respond to this growing threat in a big way and we must respond fast,” Mr Odinga said.

He said security agencies must treat the threat as part of the insecurity gripping the country and not as an issue to be addressed solely by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

“The Internal Security ministry and the Treasury need to address the equipment, personnel and logistical needs of the KWS to enable us secure our parks. The KWS has forwarded its requirements to the relevant ministries. Let this not be caught up in bureaucracy and procrastination,” the PM said.

Last weekend, 11 elephants were killed in Tsavo East National Park in what officials say was the worst such incident in three decades.