NAIROBI: A Kenya Revenue Authority officer who handled the Sh570 million illegal ivory shipment seized in Singapore was yesterday suspended. KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini said in a statement the directors of the exporting company that handled the cargo and the driver of a truck used to ferry the two 20-foot containers containing the wildlife trophy are being sought.
“So far, the truck owner has provided statements to the investigation team but the driver is still at large. The directors of the exporting company have absconded but are being sought,” he said. Njiraini said other KRA port staff are being investigated for “appropriate actions to be taken after relevant details emerge”.
Customs officials in Singapore on Tuesday seized 3.7 tonnes of illegal ivory from Kenya in the second-largest haul since 2002. The ivory was hidden among tea bags, the haul consisted of 1,783 pieces of raw ivory tusk, four pieces of rhino horn and 22 teeth believed to be from African big cats cheetahs and leopards and were on the way to Vietnam.
Njiraini said they had established that the initial consignment was stuffed at Siginon Container Freight Station before being transported to Kilindini on a truck registration number KNY 944.
The consignment labelled as tea leaves heading to Dubai. It entered through Kilindini on March 23 before it was loaded and shipped out April 6.Njiraini said post-shipment, several manifest amendments were made changing the destination from Dubai to Thailand and Vietnam through Singapore.
“The amendments were not shared with Kenya Customs and these omissions are part of the issues being addressed with the shippers undertaken by the KRA team,” he said adding that the seizure was facilitated by an alert issued to the Singaporean authorities by KRA Customs team on April 28.Njiraini said KRA shall continue supporting ongoing Inter-Agency work meant to apprehend the culprits.
The authority said cargo scanning procedures will be revised to cover export goods previously classified as ‘low risk’. “We are working with the government on a comprehensive programme to upgrade scanning infrastructure at our ports of entry so as to help achieve this goal,” he added.
However in a statement Siginon said it received tea blending instructions from a shipper Almasi Chai (Kenya) through Potential Quality Supplies in one of its Mombasa warehouses. Siginon statement said the exporting company of the consignment is Potential Quality Supplies.
“Tea blending was done and the entire consignment of blended tea was loaded onto 20-foot containers and sealed. The loading process was done in a secure warehouse environment,” the statement said. This happens as Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority senior executive manager in charge of media Christine Cai ZhengLing told the Star investigations are underway.
