President Uhuru Kenyatta Kenya’s commitment to push for the total ban on trade in ivory at the 17th
meeting of the CITES Convention in Johannesburg, South Africa, later this year.
The President said the move will ensure that Africa’s elephants are protected.
Speaking at the inaugural on Friday, Uhuru said: “We will not be the Africans who stood by as we lost our elephants,” he said.
The summit is one of the biggest government-led conservation conferences in Africa.
The Head of State marshaled the support of all stakeholders in the fight against the illegal trade on ivory and rhino horn.
He told the summit – attended by President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, as well as a host of leading philanthropists, conservationists and celebrities – that his government has declared a total war against poaching.
“But that alone is not enough: we must mobilise friends and partners across the globe to join us in the fight. The Giants Club has already proved itself a key ally,” Uhuru added.
President Kenyatta said the historic gathering heralds a new beginning not just for Kenya but across a number of elephant range states.
“I am particularly proud to be associated with an initiative that seeks to combat poaching by bringing together visionary leaders who will provide the political will, financial resources and technical capacity that is so urgently required to save Africa’s remaining elephants,” he said.
As part of the commitment to save elephants, President Kenyatta said Kenya is a signatory to the Elephant Protection Initiative.
The President disclosed that Kenya is also implementing a number of measures directed at combating elephant poaching and illegal trade in ivory within and across its borders.
These include the enactment of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013, which imposed stiffer penalties on wildlife-related crime and the development and implementation of the Conservation and the Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya covering the period 2012–2021.
Other measures include an inventory of the national elephant ivory and rhino horn stockpile, which currently has a tally of 135,784kg of elephant ivory and 1,519kg of rhino horns.
The president pointed out that the summit and the – which he will preside over
– showed the government’s strong commitment to fighting wildlife crime and putting wildlife products beyond economic use.
He commended the Giants Club for focusing on key areas of intervention in the conservation and management of the African elephant.
President Ondimba supported ongoing conservation efforts saying unless urgent action is taken, the continent risks losing one of its most iconic treasures.
“It is sad that poaching is turning our elephants into refugees,” President Ondimba said.
On his part, President Museveni proposed the modernisation of agriculture and development of infrastructure as some of the ways diversifying the economy to fight poaching.
Other speakers included Environment Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu, Kenya Wildlife Service Chairman Richard Leakey, and Space for Giants founder Max Graham.