Authorities in Kenya said on Tuesday they had smashed a massive fraud ring that was bilking the country’s famed national parks and wildlife reserves of millions of dollars in entrance fees each year.
At least 75 people, including employees of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), tour guides and operators and others have been arrested and prosecuted, indicted or internally disciplined for their role in the fraud, they said.
The scheme, which took advantage of computerised entry cards introduced in 2000 to halt corruption in the national parks, had been costing the KWS the equivalent of $2,7-million per year, they said.
”The fraudsters were milking KWS dry, but I am now confident [it] has been contained,” Tourism Minister Morris Dzoro told reporters, noting that the scam was costing the agency about 20% of its gate revenues annually.
He and KWS officials said four operations conducted over the past year had uncovered a sophisticated ring that illegally uploaded hundreds of thousands of dollars onto computer chips on smart cards needed to gain entry into the parks.
KWS is responsible for managing Kenya’s 33 national parks, reserves and sanctuaries, many of which are world-renowned for their wildlife and are a prime source for the East African nation’s tourism earnings. There are about 61 animal sanctuaries in the country. – Sapa-AFP