Kenya's mainstream media "Star" reported: A few days ago, the Kenyan government destroyed East African sandalwood worth 430,000 US dollars, a total of 13.5 tons (the tree species is lanceolate sand needle) by burning.
It is understood that in September 2022, a senior Kenyan police officer and two driver personnel carrying this batch of 13.5 tons of East African sandalwood were arrested in the town of Wamba in East Samburu. The Kahawa court found it to have violated section 94, paragraph 4, of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, which illegally possesses endangered species. By early February 2023, the East African sandalwood was finally ruled to be destroyed by the Kahawa Court in Nairobi.
In cooperation with the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Roslinda Sopan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary of Kenya's Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, hosted the sandalwood destruction on February 28 to demonstrate the Kenyan authorities' determination to combat illegal logging of sandalwood and to warn offenders of illegal logging and harvesting of such timber.
East African sandalwood comes from the CITES endangered tree species Osyris lanceolata, which is mainly produced in the forests of Kenya and is one of the raw materials for essential oils, medicines and cosmetics. Previously, East African sandalwood was banned from logging and trade by the Kenyan government in 2007 and inscribed in Appendix II by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 2013, with equal protection status for white rhinos, African elephants and blue whales.
However, there is a growing global demand for sandalwood essential oil as well as the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. It is reported that in Kenya, the price per kilogram of sandalwood is less than 100 Kenyan shillings (less than 1 US dollar), and the price of sandalwood essential oil per liter in the international market can even be as high as 3,000 US dollars.
Driven by profit, illegal harvesting of sandalwood in Kenya remains banned.
Therefore, for the destruction of sandalwood in East Africa, various relevant parties in Kenya expressed their opposition to the illegal logging of sandalwood in community forests, and the Kenya Forest Service, the Public Prosecutor General's Office, the Judicial Affairs Commission, the Crime Investigation Bureau, and the Wildlife Service all expressed their support for the public burning of the seized sandalwood.
Key officials participating in the sandalwood destruction included U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Megan Whitman, Chief Conservation Officer Julius Kamau of the Kenya Forest Service, and Boaz Ombewa, Chief Senior Judge of the Kahawa Court.
Megan Whitman said the United States fully supports Kenya's Forest Service and Criminal Investigation Service in cracking down on illegal logging and protecting endangered species.
"This destruction operation is very symbolic and aims to demonstrate the commitment and teamwork of the various stakeholders present to break the illegal networks that constantly seek to profit from the growing illegal trade in sandalwood and its products," Cabinet Secretary Tuya mentioned in the action. ”