A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, will remain in custody while he awaits a bail decision following his arraignment alongside a Kenyan co-accused for the alleged illegal trade of live ants.
Kequn, 37, and Charles Mwangi, 35, denied charges of unlawfully dealing in wildlife species when they appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts.
State counsel John Tago and Mercy Katsivo informed the court that authorities arrested the pair on March 10, 2026. At the time, they reportedly possessed 1,948 garden ants in specialized tubes and another 300 ants hidden in rolls of tissue. The prosecution stated the men lacked the required permits to handle or trade these insects.
Mwangi faces additional charges after a subsequent discovery in Gilgil on March 13. There, investigators allegedly found him with more consignments, including 1,000 ants in a basin, 113 ants stashed in syringes, and 503 empty syringes intended for the illegal trade.
During the hearing, the court learned that the two men also face a joint charge of conspiracy to commit a felony. Prosecutors allege they collaborated between March 10 and March 13 to run their unlawful wildlife trade.
Evidence from the prosecution suggests that Kequn regularly bought ants from Mwangi. He reportedly paid Sh60,000 for one batch of 600 ants and Sh70,000 for a second set of 700, effectively valuing each ant at roughly Ksh 100.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions strongly opposed bail for Kequn, labeling him a flight risk. They informed the court that the Chinese national has no permanent home in Kenya, entered the country recently (February 27, 2026) on a tourist visa, and previously evaded arrest in 2025, which led immigration officials to flag his passport with a “stop order.”
Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi ordered Kequn to remain in custody while the court considers his bail application. Both suspects will return to court for a mention on March 27, 2026.
