Just save up and go see these animals before they die out. Don't expect an African leader to allow his mother to be arrested

Chicken. Home. Roost.

A magistrate on Thursday fined a Kilgoris woman Sh40 million after finding her guilty of possessing five pieces of elephant tusks.

If Ms Ruth Kwamboka Mose fails to pay the fine, she will be jailed for four years.

Ms Mose had been arraigned before Senior Resident Magistrate Amos Mokoross, charged with being in possession of the tusks weighing seven kilogrammes and with a street value of Sh1.4 million without a certificate of ownership. She faced a second count of dealing with government trophy without a license.

She pleaded guilty to both offences.

While giving his judgment, the magistrate said the offence carried stiff penalties and that the law was very rigid on the sentence to be meted out.

“An offence such as this prescribes a fine of not less than Sh20 million or imprisonment for life,” said Mr Mokoross.

He said that he had records of previous convictions for the accused person where she was sentenced for possessing wildlife trophy and for which she is currently serving a three-year jail term.

RINK

If she was already serving a jail term, how did she come into possession of more ivory? System failure ama ni mimi sielewi?

Can large scale ranchers including the group ranches huko maasailand be allowed to 'farm' elephants and harvest ivory, just like they farm cattle for sale of beef? Farmers could for instance even import the tame asian elephant and rear it like cattle and become ivory millionaires. We could even zero graze elephants just like they are kept in zoos in the west and harvest the ivory. We should think outside the box.