Sh110m lab to step up war on poaching

A file picture taken on December 9, 2010 shows the carcass of a Rhino shot dead by poachers and later scavanged by wild animals lying on the ground at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in central Kenya. Photo/FILE

The wildlife service will set up a Sh110 million forensic and genetics laboratory with the help of the US Government to intensify the fight against poaching and ivory smuggling in the country.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) communications manager Paul Udoto said the laboratory which will be located at the headquarters in Nairobi, would play a crucial role in investigating poaching and ivory smuggling cases.

Wave of poaching

In the recent past, Kenya has been hit by a wave of poaching as tusks suspected to be from the country have been intercepted in different countries in Asia.

On Thursday, Mr Robert Hormats, the US Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment said his country would support intelligence gathering to help track down poachers, besides training KWS rangers on curbing the vice.

Speaking from Washington through teleconferencing, Mr Hormats said poaching needed to be dealt with the same way drug trafficking was dealt with and the country had to own the problem and come up with solutions.

“The challenge is similar to what we faced with drug trafficking. It took us a long time to find out how drug traffickers operated. We need to recognise that there is a huge volume of trade involved.” He said.

Although Mr Hormats did not give exact figures, he said “several million dollars” had been invested in creating intelligence networks between Kenya, Tanzania and other African countries with the US, a country ranked second behind China in ivory trade.

Some of the information the intelligence will collect will include uncovering syndicates, how transporters get paid, how traffickers move their money and weaknesses at border points that allow them to get through.