A section of Kiambu Town residents have lauded the move by the government to torch illegal ivory, saying it will help in the fight against poaching.
According to the locals, poaching and ivory trade are rife and is threat to wildlife conservation.
“I think the government did the right thing in burning the ivory, at least poachers will know that their activities are illegal,” said Brian Kinyanjui, a conservationist in Kiambu.
Kinyanjui said that poaching is a threat to wildlife, adding that there is need for measures to tame the illegal activity.
“Our wildlife and more so the elephants and Rhinos are at risk of extinction if we fail to act,” he added.
Salome Kariuki, a student at a local college in Kiambu Town urged the government to put in place stiffer laws to tame ivory.
She observed that the current laws are lenient leading to increase in poaching and ivory trade.
“I think what the government needs to do is to put in place stiffer laws that will tame poaching,” she said.
On Saturday, President Uhuru Kenyatta led government officials and environment conservationists in torching illegal ivory worth millions of dollars at the Nairobi National Park.
The ivory had been seized from poachers and ivory traders and accumulated for years.