Two Belgian nationals, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, Vietnamese citizen Duh Hung, and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a have been convicted and sentenced at the JKIA Law Courts for violating the law after they were caught trafficking live garden ants.
- •The five were arrested on April 23, 2025, after attempting to traffic approximately 5,000 live Messor cephalotes (Garden Ants) with an estimated street value of KSh 1.2 million without the requisite permits.
- •The ants, a critical species in maintaining soil health and ecosystem balance, were intercepted by authorities at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
- •The four pleaded guilty to charges of illegal possession and trade of live wildlife trophies.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku delivered the verdict on Wednesday, sentencing each offender to pay a fine of KSh 1 million or serve 12 months in prison if defaulted. The Belgian nationals had been held at the anti-Terror Police Unit facility, while the Vietnamese and Kenyan suspects were detained at Langata Prison since their arrest.
“No species is too small to protect. Our wildlife, from ants to elephants, sustains our ecosystems and national heritage,” Magistrate Thuku said in her ruling. Kenya is intensifying efforts to combat wildlife trafficking, a crime threatening biodiversity and fueling transnational organized crime.
