Five men were arrested while ferrying 32.9 kilograms of elephant tusks worth about Sh3 million in Ntulele area, Narok County.
The five had concealed the six pieces of the tusks in a sack of charcoal on January 9 when they were stopped by Kenya Wildlife Service personnel and police.
They were using two motorcycles in transporting the tusks when the officials acted.
Police said the men were under interrogation after their initial appearance in court to reveal the source of the tusks.
But it seems they had killed at least three elephants to get the tusks which they said were to be delivered in Nairobi.
Police said they expected more arrests in the probe.
“The trade in the tusks is illegal and everyone should know this. We will investigate further to get all players involved,” said police spokesperson Dr Resla Onyango.
Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
As part of efforts to stop the crime, Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment including drones to track poaching gangs and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos.
KWS working with stakeholders has put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
These mechanisms include enhanced community education, interagency collaboration, and intensive intelligence-led operations among others.
These efforts have led to zero rhino poaching in Kenya in the year 2020; the first time in about two decades.
At least 20,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa for their ivory.
This translates into 55 elephants killed daily or one elephant killed every 26 minutes with a population of 35,000 elephants.
On April 30, 2016, Kenya set ablaze 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn to smouldering ash.
President Uhuru Kenyatta led world leaders and conservationists in burning the remains of 6,500 elephants and 450 rhinos killed for their tusks and horns.
Parliament has also passed strict anti-poaching laws and the government has beefed up security at parks to stop poaching, which threatens the vital tourism industry.
Regionally, Kenya has also emerged as a major transit route for ivory destined for Asian markets from eastern and central Africa.
The illegal ivory trade is mostly fueled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used to make ornaments and traditional medicines.
