Four foreigners and a Kenyan have been sentenced to pay a fine of Sh1 million each or serve one year in jail after they were found guilty of attempting to smuggle live ants.
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku noted that the four had tried to smuggle the insects through the airport.
The four individuals, including two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and trade in live queen ants on April 14.
The two Belgians were arraigned before the JKIA Law Courts after being nabbed on April 5, 2025, at a guest house in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County, while in possession of live queen ants.
The two were found in possession of approximately 5,000 live queen ants that had been stored in 2,244 tubes. The ants had an estimated street value of Sh1 million, according to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
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.
Queen ants are highly valuable, with common species going for between Sh200 and Sh1,000, while the larger, rarer species are Sh1,500 and Sh5,000, and highly exotic or difficult-to-catch queens sell for between Sh6,000 and Sh15,000.
The Vietnamese and his Kenyan confederate, on the other hand, were charged with unlawful possession and trade of around 400 live queen ants, valued at Ksh200,000.
Earlier, during court proceedings on Wednesday, April 22, the lead prosecutors in the case, Allen Mulama, Paula Rono, and Bramwel Shitsama, presented reports from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenyan National Museums.
The report from the Kenya National Museums, authored by a senior entomologist, sought to outline the crucial role ants play in the ecosystem.
These include pest control, seed dispersal, soil aeration, nutrient recycling, and serving as indicators of environmental health and climate change.
The entomologist thus warned that mass harvesting of queen ants could lead to local extinctions, destabilise ecosystems, limit plant nutrient availability, and contribute to the spread of invasive species.
The intercepted ants 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.
