Chinese national Zhang Kequn stands outside the courtroom before his sentencing, after he pleaded guilty to charges of dealing with wildlife species without a permit and illegal possession of garden ants, on the day he was fined U.S. dollars 7,746 and a one year jail term, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya, April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi
A growing black market for exotic insects has claimed another defendant in a Kenyan courtroom. Zhang Kequn, a Chinese national, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and ordered to pay a fine of 1 million shillings ($7,746) after pleading guilty to trafficking live wildlife — specifically, more than 2,200 live garden ants discovered in his luggage at Nairobi’s main international airport last month.
Magistrate Irene Gichobi made clear that the severity of the punishment was deliberate. “Noting the increasing and rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects of massive harvesting, there is a need for a stiff deterrent,” she said. The ruling reflects a broader judicial concern in Kenya over a pattern of ant-trafficking cases that authorities say is straining the country’s wildlife protection framework.
The demand driving these cases traces back largely to hobbyist markets in China and elsewhere, where collectors pay considerable sums to house ant colonies in large transparent vessels known as formicariums. These enclosures allow enthusiasts to observe the insects’ intricate social structures and behaviours up close, turning what might seem like a mundane creature into a prized exotic specimen.
Zhang initially denied charges that included dealing in live wildlife species before reversing course and entering a guilty plea. His lawyer has since announced plans to appeal the sentence.
A Kenyan co-defendant, Charles Mwangi, was separately charged in the same case on accusations of having supplied the ants to Zhang. Mwangi has pleaded not guilty, remains free on bail, and his case was not heard in Wednesday’s proceedings.
The conviction adds to a troubling trend flagged by wildlife experts. Last year, four men were each fined 1 million shillings for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya. Conservationists noted at the time that the case marked a discernible shift in biopiracy away from high-profile contraband like elephant ivory toward lesser-known and previously overlooked species — a shift Wednesday’s ruling suggests is far from over.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah