KWS officers on Friday intercepted 27 carcasses of dik-dik and an antelope believed to have been killed for illegal bushmeat trade in Garissa county.
The development came as crackdown on suspected poaching activities along routes leading to Dadaab refugee camps intensify.
The carcasses were intercepted at Bohodhe along the Diiso-Hagadera road, a route that connects parts of the county to the refugee-hosting areas of Dadaab.
Garissa county KWS warden Aden Jelle said officers also recovered a Toyota Alto believed to have been used by the suspected poachers to transport the illegally obtained wildlife products.
Jelle said the operation turned dramatic after the occupants of the vehicle opened fire, forcing KWS officers to engage them before they escaped.
“There was an exchange of fire. The people who were inside the vehicle were armed, and our team engaged them. They managed to escape, and we are pursuing them,” Jelle said.
He said investigators had already established the identity of the vehicle’s owner and driver and were pursuing them as part of efforts to dismantle what he described as an increasingly commercialised bushmeat trade in the region.
“We have already identified the owner of the vehicle and the driver, and we are pursuing them. Our team is now on its toes, and there is no escape for them,” Jelle said.
The latest seizure has renewed concerns over the growing poaching threat in Garissa, particularly in areas around Dadaab, where wildlife meat is increasingly being targeted for commercial purposes.
Kenya Wildlife Service has previously raised alarm over suspected organised poaching networks operating in the county, with some of the illegal wildlife products believed to be destined for consumption in and around refugee-hosting areas.
Jelle urged residents to help security agencies identify and apprehend those involved in the trade, saying community intelligence would be crucial in breaking up the networks.
“We are encouraging members of the local community to provide information on the whereabouts of these people or anyone involved in this illegal business. They have now commercialised the bushmeat trade,” he said.
The warden also warned the public against consuming bushmeat, saying apart from threatening wildlife populations, the illegal trade could expose consumers to health risks.
“Bushmeat has its own effects and carries various diseases. If these diseases are transmitted to human beings, the consequences could be very disastrous,” Jelle said.
“We are therefore warning members of the public to keep away from bushmeat.”
The interception comes months after KWS officers in Garissa arrested six people suspected to be members of a poaching syndicate operating along the Garissa-Dadaab corridor.
In April, officers acting on intelligence intercepted a white Suzuki Alto at Alango Arba, also known as Hagarbul, in Fafi subcounty. It was transporting bushmeat.
The suspects were allegedly found in possession of an AK-47 rifle loaded with 13 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, together with an additional magazine containing 30 rounds. They were also reportedly dressed in jungle combat gear.
A search of the vehicle uncovered about 200 kilogrammes of suspected giraffe meat and a giraffe head, with the haul estimated at approximately Sh200,000. Seven mobile phones believed to have been used in coordinating the operation were also recovered.
The firearm and ammunition were secured as exhibits at the KWS Garissa station, while the suspects were initially detained at Garissa Police Station before being transferred to KWS headquarters in Nairobi.
The repeated seizures point to the scale of the challenge facing wildlife authorities in the expansive Garissa landscape, where vast stretches of rangeland and limited access make it difficult to completely seal off poaching routes.
Jelle called for greater cooperation between communities and security agencies to ensure suspected poachers are identified and prosecuted while also protecting the county’s remaining wildlife.
