The DPP has secured a nine-year (9) custodial sentence against an accused person convicted of wildlife-related offences under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act at the Kibera Law Courts.
The accused, Peter Omwangala Atepe, appeared before Hon. Margaret Murage (Principal Magistrate), where he was sentenced to serve a total of nine (9) years imprisonment after being found guilty of multiple offences related to the illegal exportation of wildlife products and forgery of official wildlife documentation.
In delivering the sentence, the court acknowledged the complex nature of the case and commended the determined efforts of the prosecution through Principal Prosecution Counsel, Mr. Michael Mutune, in bringing the accused to justice after he tried to defeat justice by derailing the case from 2019 up until 2024, when the first witness took the stand.
The court further noted that the matter was one of the oldest cases pending before the court, having been instituted in 2019.
Due to its complexity and other procedural challenges, the case remained unresolved for several years. The court also observed that the case had significant international dimensions.
Investigations were initiated following a Mutual Legal Assistance request from wildlife protection authorities to the United States of America, seeking cooperation from Kenyan authorities in apprehending the accused after his accomplice was arrested in the USA.
Through the coordinated efforts of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the ODPP, the accused was apprehended in Kenya and subsequently prosecuted before the Kibera Law Courts, while his accomplice faced prosecution in the United States.
Evidence presented before the court established that the accused had forged a CITES import licence with the intention of facilitating the re-export of wildlife products from Kenya to the United States of America.
The wildlife products included northern deer products, elk products, and peacock feathers. The accused was also charged with forging Kenya Wildlife Service revenue stamps in import and export permits for purposes of re-exporting the aforementioned wildlife products.
Additionally, he faced a separate charge of exporting wildlife products without a valid permit. In convicting the accused, the court held that the prosecution had proved its case to the required standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, despite the numerous challenges encountered during the course of the proceedings.
The conviction underscores the ODPP’s continued commitment to combating wildlife crime and strengthening international cooperation in the protection of endangered species and wildlife resources.
