NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 22 – Authorities at the Namanga One Stop Border Post have intercepted a live python concealed inside a wooden box falsely declared as motor vehicle spare parts in a passenger bus travelling from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Kenya, officials said on Tuesday.The seizure was made during a routine multi-agency inspection at the border point, where officers discovered the reptile hidden within cargo labelled as mechanical components.The discovery prompted the immediate arrest of the bus driver and conductor for questioning, while the intended recipient of the consignment remains unknown.The incident was confirmed by security officials at the scene, who said the interception formed part of ongoing border surveillance and cargo screening operations.“Upon reaching the Namanga border post, the multi-agency team, during search, intercepted a wooden box containing a live snake,” a police officer said.“It was established that the consignment had travelled from Dar es Salaam to Kenya. The owner has not yet been identified, but we have taken the bus driver and conductor into custody at Namanga Police Station for further investigations.”‘Never seen’A border management official, speaking separately, said the discovery occurred during a routine inspection of a transit passenger bus.“Members of the joint operations committee, while undertaking routine rummaging of the bus, intercepted a consignment labelled as motor vehicle spare parts,” the official said. “Upon further inquiry, it was found to contain a live snake.”The officials said the bus was operated by an intercity transport company identified as KIDIA One Express.Witnesses at the border described the incident as highly unusual and unsettling.“Today we have witnessed something we have never seen in our lives,” one witness said. “Instead of the bus carrying people, it was carrying a snake. People are saying the end of the world is coming because this is something we have never imagined.”The python has since been secured by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), while investigations continue into the intended destination and purpose of the concealed shipment.The Kenya Wildlife Service is expected to take custody of the reptile as part of standard procedure in wildlife interceptions at border points.