This archive report was first published on 10 December 2019.
On November 19th, 2019, a shocking video emerged online, showing a group of men mercilessly butchering an elephant with machetes in a village in Meru County. The incident, which occurred in June 2018 near Imenti Forest, had gone unnoticed until the video surfaced.
Following a positive identification from the video, Kenneth Baabu Muthaura, one of the suspects, was arrested by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Muthaura was arraigned in court on Monday, charged with killing an elephant without lawful authority.
According to KWS assistant director Michael Wanjau, bone samples from the dead animal were taken for DNA forensic matching with the tusks to be presented as evidence in court. Wanjau also stated that officers are searching for 10 other suspects identified from the video.
Muthaura pleaded not guilty to the charges before Nanyuki Resident Magistrate Vincent Masivo and was released on a Sh300,000 bond. The case will be mentioned in January 2020.
