Four individuals have been sentenced for illegally dealing in queen ants, valued at Ksh1.2 million.
In a recent statement, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) noted that Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen, and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a were each fined Ksh1 million or sentenced to one year in prison in default.
The four were sentenced by Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Njeri Thuku at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts.
4 jailed after they were nabbed while trafficking queen ants. Photo: Courtesy.
“Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen, and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a were each fined Ksh1 million or, in default, sentenced to one year in prison for dealing in listed wildlife species in contravention of Section 95(c) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, Laws of Kenya,” the statement read.
The magistrate ordered the repatriation of the three foreign nationals following either the payment of the fine or completion of their prison sentences.
In court, the prosecution relied on expert evidence, including a report from the National Museums of Kenya which stressed the crucial role ants play in the ecosystem.
According to the report, large-scale harvesting of queen ants could trigger local extinctions, destabilize fragile ecosystems and limit plant nutrient cycles.
The two Belgians were arrested on April 5, 2025, in Naivasha with live queen ants stored in 2,244 tubes.
Moreover, the Vietnamese national and his Kenyan accomplice were caught with an additional 400 live queen ants valued at Ksh 200,000.
