KENYA: A member of Kenya's post- colonial aristocratic elite has been arrested on suspicion of murder after allegedly shooting dead a game warden.
Police officers say the Hon Tom Cholmondeley (37) admitted shooting a wildlife officer who was investigating poaching of wild animals after mistaking him for a robber on his vast ranch in Kenya's Great Rift Valley.
Mr Cholmondeley is heir to the title Baron Delamere and a member of one of Kenya's most famous British settler families.
The eccentric third baron arrived from Britain, buying up large tracts of land at the end of the 19th century.
He encouraged white farmers to move to the region around Lake Naivasha in the rift valley and the so-called "Happy Valley" was born.
It became famous as a haunt for glamorous big game hunters and as the scene of gin-soaked parties and bed-hopping.
Mr Cholmondeley, the great-grandson of the third baron, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of murder.
The incident occurred during an investigation by plainclothes officers of the Kenya Wildlife Service. The officers were investigating reports that estate staff were poaching buffalo for the illegal bush meat trade.
Kenyan wildlife officials and conservation groups are struggling to stamp out a thriving trade in game meat which threatens the survival of several species in east Africa.
According to a spokesman for the wildlife service, the three- man team followed a Land-Rover laden with carcases to the estate slaughterhouse, where they attempted to arrest 16 workers.
At that point two white farmers arrived on the scene and one opened fire, killing a plainclothes officer.
The two other officers were also assaulted by estate staff.
Simon Kiragu, local police chief, said Mr Cholmondeley later admitted opening fire but claimed he thought the investigators were robbers.
"We are holding him in Gilgil police station and will arraign him in court once investigations are complete," he said.
Mr Kiragu added that a Luger pistol was recovered from the scene and that the 16 estate workers would appear in court charged with assault and possession of game meat.
Mr Cholmondeley is finance and strategy director at Delamere Estates, one of the leading exporters of baby corn to Britain and other European countries.
He farms land bought by the third baron at the end of the 19th century, deep within the rift valley.
The Delamere family remains one of Kenya's largest landowners, with more than 100,000 acres.
Although the Happy Valley set is long gone, much of the area is still owned by the descendants of white settlers, making it the scene of frequent protests by local Maasai communities who claim traditional rights to grazing land.