French Woman Arrested with Ivory Bracelet at JKIA Fined Sh1 Million by Nairobi Court

A Nairobi court on Thursday slapped a French national with a fine of Sh1 million after she pleaded guilty to being in possession of ivory jewelry.

The Frenchwoman identified as Laazibi Amal was arrested with a bangle made of ivory at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday night. 

Amal, who was transiting through JKIA from France to Dzaoudzi Island, was arrested and detained at the Nairobi airport after she was found with the ivory bangle weighing 0.85 grams.

The foreigner risks a 12-month jail term if she fails to pay the Sh1 million fine.

In a tweet following Ms. Amal’s arrest, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said possession of such items encourages trade in ivory and poaching.

In 2018, a Chinese national named Zhang Ninighua was arrested at JKIA with ivory bracelets weighing 150 grams. The 52-year-old was on transit from Lagos, Nigeria to Guangzhou, China.

A 42-year-old Kenyan man, David Ndegwa was this week arrested in Nyandarua County with 100 kilograms of elephant tusks worth Sh10 million.

Kenyan laws recommend a life sentence or Sh20 million fine, or both to those found guilty of being in possession of animal trophy.