Police on Tuesday arrested three people in Chogoria, Tharaka Nithi county after they were found in possession of 14 pieces of ivory weighing 58 kilos.
The lot was arrested with the trophies, estimated to be worth Sh5.8 million, while waiting for a potential buyer at a restaurant.
They transported the ivory to the restaurant using a motorbike before KWS officers and police, pretending to be buyers, trapped them.
Maara police boss Johnston Kabusia said: "The ivory was wrapped in a sack. We are yet to identify the buyers but were are carrying out investigations to unmask them."
The police boss said the probe will be centred on the origin of the trophies and their destination.
Henry Kerinyet, KWS warden in charge of Chogoria region, said they will take stern measures to protect wildlife from poachers.
"We have lost so many elephants. This is unacceptable as the animals take many years to mature. We cannot continue losing them at this rate," he said.
The arrest came in the wake of revelations that African ivory smugglers move the trophies as finished products.
The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) warned that most of the cargo is shipped to Asia.
In a
statement, the agency said: "There is a growing concern and increasing evidence of ivory
processing in Africa by Asian nationals for export to Asia."
"This
involves smaller volumes of worked ivory carried through air check-in
carry-on luggage or couriers.It could potentially pose a serious threat
and adequate enforcement efforts to stem this illegal flow are to be
deployed."
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