The Jomo Kenyatta International Law Court has charged two men with dealing in wildlife species, after one of the, a Chinese national, was arrested with more than 2,000 live ants.
Zhang Kegun, aged 37 years and Charles Mwangi, 35 years old, were on Tuesday charged with dealing in live wildlife species, namely 3,361 live ants and garden ants, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
“The Prosecution Counsel told the court that Kequn and Mwangi were on 10th March 2026 found dealing in live wildlife species, including 1948 garden ants packaged in specialized tubes and 300 live ants packaged in three rolls of tissue without a permit,” DPP said adding that Mwangi was charged with a second count of dealing in live wildlife species.
It’s alleged that on 13th March 2026, in Gilgil town, Mwangi was found dealing in live wildlife species; 1,000 pieces of live ants in a pink basin, 113 pieces of garden ants stashed in specialized syringes, and 503 pieces of empty syringes in a white sack.
However, Zhang and Mwangi pleaded not guilty to the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi, including dealing with wildlife species without a permit.
The court heard that during the transactions, Kequn paid Mwangi Ksh60,000 for 600 live ants supplied and an additional Ksh70,000 for the other 700 live ants. He was buying each live ant at Ksh100.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) moved to oppose the release of the Chinese national on bond, citing that he arrived in the country on February 27, 2026, on a tourist visa, making him a flight risk with no fixed residence. The case is scheduled for mention on March 27, 2026.
Court documents reveal that 27-year-old Zhang Kequn was detained last Tuesday as he tried to leave Kenya. His passport had been flagged with a “stop order” by immigration authorities after he avoided arrest in the country last year.
