DPP goes for masterminds of wildlife trafficking in push to break international cartels
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga speaks during a Community Dialogue on Access to Justice at African Inland Church (AIC), Riruta, Nairobi, on July 23, 2026.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga has called for a coordinated international crackdown on the financiers and masterminds behind wildlife trafficking, warning that prosecuting couriers and intercepting illegal shipments alone will not dismantle the criminal networks driving the multibillion-shilling trade.
Mr Ingonga said authorities must shift their focus towards identifying the organisers, financiers and beneficiaries of wildlife trafficking, which he said had become increasingly sophisticated, with criminal networks exploiting corruption, money laundering and digital payment systems to move illegal wildlife products and proceeds across borders.
He said the nature of the trade required countries to strengthen intelligence sharing, coordinate investigations and pursue joint prosecutions, arguing that traffickers were taking advantage of jurisdictional gaps to evade law enforcement.
“Behind every seizure lies a larger story. There is an animal removed from its habitat, a community deprived of its natural heritage, and often a criminal enterprise profiting from both,” he said.
The DPP was speaking in Nairobi during the opening of the 10th Wildlife Inter-regional Enforcement Conference, a three-day meeting organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The meeting brings together prosecutors, investigators, customs officials and wildlife enforcement agencies from different countries to strengthen international cooperation in combating wildlife crime.
Mr Ingonga's remarks come against the backdrop of the scale of the global illegal wildlife trade, with more than 140,000 seizures recorded in 162 countries and territories between 2015 and 2021, involving approximately 4,000 species.
The figures, cited by the DPP from UNODC findings, illustrate the reach of trafficking networks and the diversity of wildlife targeted, with the illegal trade extending beyond iconic species such as elephants and rhinoceroses to include reptiles, rare plants and marine species.
Mr Ingonga said the response must go beyond confiscating wildlife products to include stronger prosecution-guided investigations, wildlife forensics, proper evidence handling and asset recovery.
He said investigators and prosecutors needed to work more closely from the beginning of investigations to ensure that evidence gathered could withstand scrutiny in court and help secure convictions against those directing the networks.
The DPP also pointed to the increasing use of technology by traffickers, warning that digital platforms, encrypted communications and electronic payment systems were making it easier for criminal groups to coordinate activities and conceal financial transactions.
Rhinoceros horns
He cited a December 2025 operation involving authorities in Singapore and South Africa, which uncovered a shipment containing 55.4 kilogrammes of rhinoceros horns and other animal parts in Johannesburg, resulting in arrests.
The operation illustrated the cross-border nature of wildlife trafficking and the importance of cooperation between countries in tracing shipments, identifying suspects and building cases that extend beyond the point of interception.
The threat posed by wildlife trafficking also carries significant economic implications for Kenya, where tourism remains a major source of foreign exchange, employment and livelihoods.
The sector generated a record Sh500 billion in 2025, with earnings rising further to Sh564 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, according to tourism industry figures.
Kenya received approximately 7.9 million visitors in 2025, comprising 2.7 million international tourists and 5.2 million domestic travellers. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that the sector contributed about $12.7 billion to the country's economy, equivalent to 9.3 per cent of gross domestic product, while supporting approximately 1.8 million jobs.
Mr Ingonga said wildlife protection was not merely an environmental concern but also an economic and constitutional obligation, noting that the country's biodiversity supported ecological balance and the rights of future generations.
He invoked the constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment, arguing that protecting wildlife required a sustained commitment from both national institutions and international partners.
The DPP reaffirmed the ODPP's commitment to strengthening prosecution-led investigations and working with international partners to improve the handling of wildlife crime cases.
He said the ultimate objective should be to dismantle the criminal structures behind the illegal trade rather than concentrate exclusively on the individuals caught transporting wildlife products.
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