Kenyan authorities have intercepted a major illegal sandalwood shipment worth approximately Ksh 5 million in Nyahururu, marking another significant step in the country’s ongoing crackdown on environmental crimes.
According to a statement issued by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Sunday, October 26, 2025, the multi-agency security team acted on intelligence that led to the interception of a vehicle along the Nyahururu–Rumuruti road.
“Today, a multi-agency security team conducted an intelligence-led operation along the Nyahururu–Rumuruti Road, during which a motor vehicle, registration KAX 049C, was intercepted with two occupants,” the DCI said via X. “Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered a consignment of endangered sandalwood weighing approximately 532 kilograms, with an estimated street value of Ksh 5 million.”
The two suspects were arrested at the scene and taken into custody for further interrogation. Both the vehicle and the seized sandalwood have been retained as evidence as investigations proceed.
The DCI emphasized that the operation highlights the government’s determination to curb environmental crimes and safeguard Kenya’s endangered tree species.
Kenya banned sandalwood harvesting in 2007 under a presidential directive aimed at allowing natural regeneration. The species, prized for its use in perfumes and traditional medicine, is listed as protected under Kenyan law and included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Conservationists have consistently warned that illegal harvesting and smuggling have pushed sandalwood to near extinction. A report by the ENACT organised crime programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) revealed that the trade is driven by a network of corrupt actors and weak enforcement mechanisms.
ENACT’s collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has helped map key trade routes and identify criminal infiltration within enforcement agencies. The findings have guided new policy recommendations to protect Kenya’s remaining sandalwood populations and disrupt the illicit trade.
