Five people have denied breaking into Mutube Baptist Church in Chuka town, Tharaka-Nithi County and stealing music instruments on Tuesday night. Joel Mwandiki, Eric Munene, Nicasio Njeru, Nicholas Karani and Christine Mwende and others not before, the court heard, stole loudspeakers, guitar, amplifier, a mixer and other instruments worth Sh300,000.

Chuka Resident Magistrate Oscar Kinyua heard that the five were 'arrested' by members of the public and handed over to officers from Chuka Police Station together with the items that were found at a bar.

Stolen items

The five also denied an alternative charge of being found in possession of stolen items at a bar known as Gaza in Kibumbu estate on Wednesday morning.

The five were released on a cash bail of Sh80,000 each or a bond of Sh300,000 or a surety of similar amount.

The case will be heard on November 17. By Alex Njeru, NMG

The Executive Director NatureUganda, Mr Achilles Brunnel Byaruhanga has won the Tusk Conservation Award. The annual award which honours Africa’s conservation leaders in partnership with Ninety-One, not only celebrated the unsung conservation heroes of Africa, but also marked the 10th year of the awards. 

The prestigious event was attended by the charity's Royal Patron, the Prince of Wales, who launched the inaugural awards in 2013. Prince William took to the stage to honour the extraordinary men and women dedicated to the protection of Africa's natural heritage and presented this year's award winners with their trophies. 

Other award winners include; Ian Craig (Kenya), Miguel Gonçalves (Mozambique) and Neddy Mulimo (Zambia) and each of the four winners received a trophy specially crafted by Patrick Mavros, and all finalists received grants totalling £345,000 to continue their vital work.

“As Sir David Attenborough reminded us at this ceremony five years ago, Africa’s wildlife is truly special. What the Awards alumni, their dedicated teams and local communities are protecting is ‘one of the great natural treasures of the world’. And yet, we also know that it is just a fragment of what they once were. That is why it is vital that we do everything in our power to halt the frightening decline in species that our planet has witnessed over the last 50 years,” Prince William remarked.

Mr Byaruhanga said: “Conservation is not an event. It’s a process that takes a long time and communities are crucial. We are connected with people. We see the overall power is with the people.”

The awards’ 10th year comes at a critical time for conservation. Major upcoming global biodiversity summits - including the CITES conference in Panama in November and the UN Biodiversity Conference in Canada in December - will see the future of Africa’s wildlife and protected species take centre stage. 

The very real threat to African conservation continues as at-risk wildlife and communities face increasing pressure from climate change, human-wildlife conflict and the ongoing legacy of Covid-19. Through the recognition of and support given to award recipients, Tusk aims to raise the profile of African leaders to advance conservation and their significant impact in the field across Africa.

Tusk is uniquely positioned to bring together African conservation leaders with the influence, passion and expertise to implement the plans forged at these summits. The Tusk Awards celebrates these individuals and their potential to tackle the greatest threats to the continent’s biodiversity. By Beatrice Nakibuuka, Daily Monitor