Sandalwood consignment worth Sh7.8 million destroyed in Maralal
Sandalwood produces essential oils and has parts with proven medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits.
A sandalwood consignment worth Sh7.8 million has been destroyed in Maralal, Samburu County, in an exercise supervised by Senior Principal Magistrate Sitati Temba.
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The 7.8-tonne haul was seized on September 21, 2025, at Ntunyu Village by a joint security team.
Its destruction took place at the Maralal Police Station yard under court orders, witnessed by members of the County Security and Intelligence Committee, officers from the National Police Service, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service.
Police said two suspects linked to the consignment are currently in custody.
Sandalwood is an endangered tree species, listed in 2004 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
In 2007, Kenya issued a ban on its harvesting. In 2013, CITES further declared sandalwood a species at risk of extinction if trade was not strictly controlled.
According to Enact, sandalwood trafficking in Kenya is a multi-million-dollar trade that exploits local communities and leads to deforestation.
"The illegal trade in sandalwood is sustained by a network of actors ranging from local communities to international markets. This has devastated community forests and pushed the sandalwood tree towards extinction," the organisation said, adding that middle and upper-tier criminals continue to profit from its sale.
Sandalwood produces essential oils and has parts with proven medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits.
Enact highlights that inconsistent conservation laws across East Africa have facilitated the smuggling of Kenyan sandalwood into neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania.
In February 2023, police burned tonnes of seized sandalwood in Nairobi, sending a strong message of the State’s resolve to combat trafficking. The action also served as a call to East African governments to close legal loopholes enabling environmental crimes.
"The symbolic destruction of illegal harvests prevented resale by corrupt officials and reinforced Kenya’s commitment to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes," Enact noted.
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