Seizure of 2,000 ants at JKIA highlights the hidden scale of insect trafficking

Chinese national Zhang Keng Kun who was found carrying 1,948 garden ant queens at JKIA when he appeared before the JKIA Law Courts on March 11, 2026.

Last year Kenya Wildlife Service warned of a growing demand for garden ants in Europe and Asia, where some people view them as exotic pets. An attempt to smuggle over 2,000 garden ants out of the country's main international airport made the news in 2026. Echoing this, in 2025, four men were sentenced for attempting to smuggle more than 5,000 ants out of the country.

The defendants in the 2025 case pleaded guilty to the illegal possession and trafficking of live wildlife species, an offence under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act (2013). They got a choice of paying a fine of US$7,700 or serving 12 months in prison.