Sh11 million worth of ivory seized from a hotel during a police swoop in Namanga, Kajiado County, on January 26, 2026.
Police in Namanga, Kajiado County, are investigating an incident in which two Tanzanian nationals were arrested while in possession of 20 pieces of elephant tusks.
Namanga Sub-county Police Commander Hassan Elema said the duo was arrested and two motor vehicles impounded during a swoop mounted by a multi-agency team drawn from the Kenya Wildlife Service and the National Police Service.
He said the ivory, which weighed 110 kg, has a street value of Sh11 million, the police said.
Elema said that acting on a tip-off, officers laid an ambush at a local hotel within Namanga Township, where three people were found in possession of elephant tusks. The arrests were made at around 4.50pm.
“The officers managed to arrest two suspects, Tanzanian nationals aged 28 and 33,” Elema told The Star at his office in Namanga on Monday.
He said one suspect, the duo’s accomplice, managed to escape the police dragnet.
“One suspect, also a Tanzanian national, managed to escape after sensing police presence. After interrogation, the suspects led the team to their motor vehicles, in which 20 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 110kgs with a street value of Sh11 million were recovered,” Elema said.
The consignment, according to the police boss, was recovered from the boot of a private car, a Toyota Mark X, while a weighing machine was found inside the second car, a Nissan Fairlady model.
The suspects were arrested and held at Namanga Police Station, while both vehicles were driven to the same station, where they have since been impounded.
Elema said police were in hot pursuit of the suspects’ accomplices, including the third man who narrowly escaped the dragnet.
He said the recovered ivory had been kept as exhibits and would be produced in court together with the suspects once investigations were complete.