NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has secured a nine-year prison sentence against Peter Omwangala Atepe, convicted of illegally exporting wildlife products and forging official wildlife documents.
Atepe was sentenced at the Kibera Law Courts by Principal Magistrate Margaret Murage, who found him guilty of multiple offences under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.
The court handed him a combined nine-year custodial sentence for charges related to illegal wildlife exports and document forgery.
In her ruling, Magistrate Murage highlighted the complexity of the case and praised the prosecution, led by Principal Prosecution Counsel Michael Mutune, for their perseverance over a lengthy trial.
“The court acknowledged the complex nature of the case and commended the determined efforts of the prosecution, which brought the accused to justice despite his attempts to derail the proceedings from 2019 until 2024,” the ODPP said.
The case, first filed in 2019, faced multiple delays, with the first witness only taking the stand in 2024.
Mutual Legal Assistance
The magistrate also noted the case’s international implications, stemming from a Mutual Legal Assistance request from US wildlife authorities following the arrest of Atepe’s alleged accomplice in the United States.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) investigators, working alongside ODPP prosecutors, arrested Atepe in Kenya and presented him before the Kibera court. His accomplice was prosecuted separately in the United States.
Evidence presented in court showed that Atepe forged a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) import licence to facilitate the re-export of wildlife products—including northern deer, elk, and peacock feathers—from Kenya to the US.
Prosecutors also revealed that Atepe forged KWS revenue stamps on import and export permits to enable these shipments.
Atepe faced additional charges for exporting wildlife products without a valid permit. The court concluded that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, despite numerous procedural and logistical challenges.
