Latest news about crime and security in Kenya. Information about the black market in Kenya is collected from international organizations, intelligence reports, national security agencies and news articles.
The Refugees Consortium of Kenya reported that at least 50 girls between the age of 10 to 15 are sold in the major cities of Kenya every week.
The human traffickers generate an estimated $40 Million a year from the selling of young girls.
The International Organization of Migration says that up to 20,000 people from Somalia and Ethiopia are smuggled into Kenya each year and their way to South Africa.
Source: “Poverty fuels human trafficking in Kenya,” Sunday Nation, April 27, 2013.
According to a study by the International Trade Center in Kenya, each shipment made by exporters and importers in the country pay up to $5,797 (500,000 Kenyan Schillings) in bribes.
Out of that amount, $2,903 (250,000 Schillings) goes to Customs Officials, $1,742 (150,000 Schillings) goes to Port Officials, and police officers take a $1,161 (100,000 Schilling) cut.
Source: Winfred Kagwe, “Kenya: Bribery a Major Trade Barrier – Study,” allAfrica, February 27, 2013.
The Government of Kenya stated that counterfeit electricity cables in the country is costing the economy almost $1 Billion in lost revenue.
In addition to the economic impact, 275 people died from exploding counterfeit cable wires and components in 2012.
Source: Humphrey Liloba, “Kenya: Fight Against Counterfeit Trade Rages On,” AllAfrica, February 11, 2013.
The counterfeit trade in Kenya is a $800 Million (70 Billion Kenyan Shilling) business, according to the Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) of Kenya.
Most trademark infringements in the country involve products such as counterfeit drugs, electronics, pirated software, counterfeit alcohol and mobile phones.
Between 2010 and 2012, the ACA processed 177 complaints of counterfeiting and prosecuted 47 cases of trademark violations.
Source: George Omondi, “Kenya loses Sh70bn in counterfeit trade,” Business Daily, Feburary 4, 2013.
The New York Times reported on the various tactics that elephant ivory poachers are deploying against park rangers in Central Africa.
Experts are reporting that the poachers are using former solders who are employing military tactics to kill rangers that come across their activities. In Kenya, six rangers were killed during 2012. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 5 people were killed during the summer of 2012 when poachers raided a wildlife reserve. In Mozambique, intelligence reports are stating that poachers are using land mines.
In addition to killing park rangers, the ivory traffickers are finding various ways to avoid the detection of rangers. In Zimbabwe, poachers are killing elephants for their ivory and then spreading poison onto the dead bodies. The poison is used to kill vultures so that park rangers are unable to know when elephants have been killed.
Source: Jeffery Gettleman, “Rangers in Isolated Central Africa Uncover Grim Cost of Protecting Wildlife,” New York Times, December 31, 2012.
According to the NGO End Child Prostitution in Kenya, in 2009 there were up to 50,000 children involved in the sex trade. Most of the customers of child prostitution were Kenyan nationals, as well as tourists from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In 2012, child advocates reported that men were paying around $25 (2,000 Kenyan Shillings) to have sex with girls as young as 12.
(See more prostitute prices .)
Source: Naomi Conrad, “Fighting to save Kenya’s child prostitutes,” Deutsche Welle, July 31, 2012.
Worldwide, law enforcement officials seized over 23 tons of ivory that was being trafficked on the black market.Officially, the trade in ivory was banned worldwide in 1989.
A large portion of the ivory was believed to have been headed for China. In Kenya, where a majority of the smuggled ivory is shipped out of Africa, about 90 percent of the ivory traffickers arrested at the airport are Chinese nationals.
Source: Geoffrey York, “Growing Chinese demand fuels booming trade in ivory,” Globe and Mail, June 19, 2012.
There are an estimated 7,000 prostitutes who work in the Kenyan city of Nairobi, according to a report by the City Council. Each sex worker sees an average of 3 to 4 clients each night.
Source: Simon Ndonga, “Nairobi prostitutes serve 3 to 4 clients a night,” Capital FM, March 8, 2012.
Corruption and bribery in Kenya is estimated to cost as much as $1 Billion each year.
Despite living on less than $1 per day, Kenyans pay on average 16 bribes each month.
Source: Scott Balduaf, “Websites allow Kenyans to report bribes and battle corruption,” Christian Science Monitor, December 21, 2011.
In July of 2011, there were six rhinos reported to have been killed for their horns in Kenya. The number of rhinos killed for the month was the same number as the number killed in all of 2008.
Source: Jessica Hatcher, “Deadly trade: rhino horn poaching surges,” Telegraph, December 10, 2011.
