Government Committed to Combat Poaching Challenges

Prof Judi Wakhungu

The government is demonstrating its commitment to combat poaching challenges and guarantee security, conservation and management of wildlife resources for posterity.

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Natural Resources Prof Judi Wakhungu has urged Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to work with other law enforcement agencies especially National Intelligence Service (NIS) Customs, the Kenya Police Service, Interpol, Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), Immigration Department, and the Kenya Airports Authority among others, in ensuring that local and international laws on wildlife crimes are enforced.

Mr. William Kiprono

On a speech read on her behalf by Ag Director General KWS, Mr. William Kiprono on the occasion of receiving nine vehicles for Inter-security Anti-Poaching Elite Crack Unit (APECU), Prof Judi Wakhungu emphasized that the government is very much aware of the magnitude of the challenge posed by wildlife poaching especially of rhinos and elephants. "We acknowledge that wildlife security threats a global phenomenon that has largely been driven by the high demand for ivory and rhino horn in the Asian Countries," she noted. 

Anti-Poaching Elite Crack Unit  (APECU) vehicles

In August last year, the government directed that a joint inter-agency (APECU) comprising of KWS, Administration Police (AP) and General Service Unit (GSU) officers to be formed. They were jointly trained and deployed in three poaching hot-spots of Tsavo, Liaikipia, and Narok. This kind of momentous facilitation by the government is surely a boost for on-going war on poaching.  

Mr. William Kiprono flags off APECU vehicles

Prof Wakhungu said “The unit has had significant impact as evidenced by reducing poaching incidences to negligible numbers across the country”. She noted that the KWS has already “formed an Elite Response Unit (RRU) to work alongside the APECU in readiness to take up the role at the lapse of one year of its tenure as envisaged.”

Mr Kiprono said KWS is sending a strong message to poachers and trophy dealers that they shall be dealt with severely according to the law.

In the meantime, through the use of world-class life sciences tools, capabilities and processes, Kenya will leapfrog older crime fighting techniques to enhance the capabilities to protect its biodiversity, hence by equipping the new Wildlife Forensic laboratory based at Kenya Wildlife Service, the modern DNA-based molecular methods will aid in the fight against the poaching of endangered and protected species, and in the prevention of cruelty to animals.