Uhuru Kenyatta to burn 15 tonnes of ivory in fight against poaching

Politics and policy

An illegal ivory stockpile burns at the Tsavo National Park on July 20, 2011. The then President of Kenya Mwai Kibaki ignited the nearly five tonnes of ivory. AFP PHOTO | TONY KARUMBA 

By JOHN NJAGI

In Summary

• The 2015 theme is "Wildlife Crime is serious, let’s get serious about wildlife crime".
• The World Wildlife Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 20, 2013 to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.

President Uhuru Kenyatta will Tuesday become the third president in Kenya’s history to set ablaze 15 tonnes of elephant ivory to mark the World Wildlife Day.

President Kenyatta will preside over the event that coincides with the Wangari Maathai Day and Africa Environment at midday at the Nairobi National Park.

The World Wildlife Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 20, 2013 to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.

The 2015 theme is "Wildlife Crime is serious, let’s get serious about wildlife crime".

Africa Environment Day celebrated annually on March 3, was established by the Organisation of African Unity in 2002 as a way of raising awareness of the pressing environmental challenges facing the continent.

Since 2012, the Africa Environment Day has been celebrated in conjunction with Wangari Maathai Day, in order to pay tribute to the late Nobel Laureate's Green-Belt Movement legacy.

The event is organised by the Government through the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, and related state agencies such Kenya Wildlife Service.

Other agencies involved are Kenya Forest Service, National Environment Management Authority, Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme.