The Office of the Director of Public Persecutions has secured the conviction of two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan in illegal procession of trade of ants.
During the hearing at Jomo Kenyatta International airport law Courts led by Allen Mulama and Paula Rono told the court the Belgians namely Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx had been arrested on April 5, 2025, at around 10:00 a.m. at Jane Guest House in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County
The two culprits were found in procession of approximately 5000 live queen ants stored in 2,244tubes worth 1 million.
They were accused of violating section 95(c) of the Wildlife conservation and Management Act, chapter 376, law of Kenya, by dealing in Wildlife species without a permit.
Duh Hung Nguyen a Vietnamese national and Dennis Ng’ang’a a Kenyan national were accused of illegally processing and trading around 400 live queen ants for ksh 200,00 in a different but connected case.
According to the report the offence occurred on 5th of April and 6th of April 2025 at Hemak Towers Suite in Nairobi’s Central Business District and Tofina Muthama Apartments in Syokimau, Nairobi County.
Furthermore, all four defendants appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku and she entered guilty pleas. The court postponed the cases until April 15, 2025. So that the prosecution could present the cases’ facts and submit the physical exhibits.
The accused will remain in custody at JKIA police station until further notice.
Written by, Alex Kimani
