Four suspects who pleaded guilty before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court in a landmark case involving the illegal trafficking and biopiracy of live ants will know their fate on Tuesday, April 15.
The ants include the ecologically
significant Messor cephalotes species native to Kenya.
The prosecution, led by Allen Mulama and Paula Rono, told the court that the Belgians, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, were arrested on April 5, 2025, at around 10:00 a.m. at Jane Guest
House in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County.
They were charged with illegal
possession and trafficking of live wildlife before Senior Principal Magistrate
Njeri Thuku at the JKIA Law Courts in Nairobi.
The two were found in possession of approximately 5,000 live queen ants stored in 2,244 tubes, with an estimated street value of Sh1 million.
They were charged with dealing in wildlife species without a permit, contrary to Section 95(c) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, Cap 376, Laws of Kenya.
In a separate but related case, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a were charged with illegal possession and trade of around 400 live queen ants, valued at Sh200,000.
The offense is reported to have occurred between April 5, 2025
and April 6, 2025, at Hemak Towers Suite in Nairobi’s Central Business District
and Tofina Muthama Apartments in Syokimau, Nairobi County.
The court deferred the matter to April 15, 2025, to allow the prosecution to present the facts of the case and submit the physical exhibits.
The accused will remain in custody at the JKIA Police Station until then.
The arrests were made after authorities intercepted live queen
ants concealed in specially modified test tubes and syringes.
Kenya Wildlife Service said the
case not only marks a serious wildlife crime but also constitutes biopiracy, as
it involves the unlawful access and attempted export of Kenya’s genetic
resources without prior informed consent or benefit-sharing, in direct
violation of national law and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and
Benefit-Sharing.
Investigations revealed that the test tubes had been designed to
sustain the ants for up to two months and evade airport security detection,
including X-ray scanners.
Cotton wool was used to maintain
the ants’ survival during transit, indicating a premeditated and well-executed
trafficking operation.
The foreigners entered Kenya on
tourist visas with an intention to smuggle the ants to high-value exotic pet
markets in Europe and Asia, where demand for rare insect species is rising.
The intercepted ants, particularly the highly sought-after Messor cephalotes, are prized by collectors for their unique behaviour, complex colony-building capabilities and greenhouse pest control.
These traits make them popular in formicariums—artificial ant habitats—driving their illicit trade and illegal removal from the wild.
This case highlights a growing global threat of the biopiracy of native species.
Biopiracy refers to the commercial exploitation or export of biological materials—such as plants, animals, and microorganisms—without fair compensation or benefit-sharing with the country of origin.
In this instance, the unauthorized collection and export
of Messor cephalotes not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign
rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research
institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits, including
biopiracy.
In Kenya, the ants are protected by international
biodiversity treaties and their trade is highly regulated.
"This prosecution sends a strong message that Kenya will enforce compliance… and marks a significant step forward in Kenya's fight against unconventional wildlife crimes," the KWS said.
