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Kenyan authorities seize dried butterflies, guinea fowl feathers

Thursday September 12 2019
By MOHAMED AHMED

Kenyan authorities Thursday seized 201 pieces of dried butterflies and 20 pieces of vulterine guinea fowl feathers at the Lunga Lunga border in coastal county Kwale.

A suspect was arrested, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials said.

Guinea fowl and butterfly trophies are restricted goods under the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA).

KRA is a custodian of the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and other local and international laws.

The authority said preliminary investigations showed the consignment was destined for Hungary and the United Kingdom.

“Documents in his possession indicate that the dried butterfly’s consignee was in Szombathely, Hungary while an invoice indicated that the consignor for the vulterine guinea fowl feathers was in Dar es Salaam,” read a statement by the authority.

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Customs officials at the Lunga Lunga One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) intercepted the consignment which found from a passenger who was travelling by bus heading to Mombasa from Tanga, Tanzania.

The authority said the suspect had a temporary Tanzanian passport and did not have a required permit from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other relevant authorizing institutions as required by law.

The officials at the border point intercepted the consignment during a routine scanning exercise at the border post.

“The officials noticed the suspicious cargo prompting them to physically verify contents of the shipment and later discovered the restricted items.

The suspect was also found to be in possession of a stamp with initials of the Director of Veterinary Services, Dar es Salaam.

The suspect has been handed over to Kenya Wildlife Service for further interrogation and action.

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