A court in Homa Bay has sentenced a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer and two other men to seven years in prison each after they were found guilty of trafficking a rhino horn.
The officer, identified as Bernard Omondi, was arrested together with his two accomplices on January 1, 2025, in Rodi Kopany Township in Homa Bay County while in possession of a rhino horn weighing about 2.9 kilograms.
The court heard that the suspects were arrested following a security operation launched after authorities received a tip-off from members of the public about suspected illegal wildlife trade in the area.
According to the prosecution, the operation was carried out jointly by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and regular police officers.
During the raid, detectives recovered the rhino horn and arrested the three suspects. Investigators said the men had been staying at a hotel in Rodi Kopany when officers stormed the premises and apprehended them.
The suspects were later charged in court under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act with two counts — dealing in a wildlife trophy and being in possession of a wildlife trophy.
While delivering the ruling, Homa Bay Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Auka sentenced the three men to seven years in prison for the offence of dealing in a wildlife trophy.
On the second count of possessing a wildlife trophy, the court also fined each of the convicts Ksh3 million. If they fail to pay the fine, they will serve an additional five years in prison.
The court directed that the sentences will run consecutively, meaning the convicts could spend more time in jail if the fines are not paid.
Magistrate Auka also ordered the owner of the vehicle used in transporting the rhino horn to appear in court on March 18 to explain why the vehicle should not be seized by the state.
Police said a black Toyota Kluger believed to have been used in transporting the rhino horn was impounded during the operation.
Investigators suspect the wildlife trophy may have come from the nearby Ruma National Park, although further investigations are still ongoing.
Authorities noted that the recovered rhino horn could be worth millions of shillings on the illegal wildlife market.