7 Chinese To Be Deported After Serving Jail Sentence In Kenya

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), through two state counsels, has secured the conviction of seven Chinese nationals at the Kapenguria Law Courts.

According to a statement by ODPP on Tuesday, April 22, the seven were convicted for engaging in illegal mining activities along the Wei-Wei River in Sigor, Pokot Central Sub-County.

The accused — Wang Youping, Xian Zhenming, He Zhouming, Wang Xiaodong, Zhao Zhenwei, Guan Qiang, and Deng Chun — were apprehended on February 12, 2025, during a joint crackdown led by the Mining Investigations Unit and officials from the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs.

Authorities uncovered ongoing unlicensed mining operations at the site, seizing machinery and vehicles used in the illegal activity. It was confirmed that none of the suspects held valid mining licences.

Investigations also revealed that two of the individuals, Xian Zhenming and Deng Chun, were in the country without work permits or alien registration documents. Mineral samples collected from the site tested positive for quartz.

On April 17, 2025, all seven suspects pleaded guilty before Principal Magistrate Nelly Kenei. Each was fined Ksh 3 million for illegal mining and Ksh 400,000 for working without permits, with an alternative of one year in prison per charge.

Additionally, Xian and Deng received an extra Ksh 200,000 fine or six months in prison for unlawful presence in the country. All sentences will run consecutively.

Upon serving their sentences or paying off fines, the individuals will be repatriated.

This sentence comes at a time when Kenyan agencies have heightened the war on foreigners engaging in unlawful activities within the territorial boundaries.

On April 14, four individuals — including two Belgians, a Vietnamese national, and a Kenyan — pleaded guilty to charges related to the illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants in Kenya.

In a bizarre case that unfolded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts, prosecutors Allen Mulama and Paula Rono told the court that Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx were apprehended on April 5 at Jane Guest House in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County.

The duo was caught red-handed with over 5,000 live queen ants stashed in 2,244 tubes — wildlife authorities estimate the black market value at Ksh 1 million.

They faced charges of dealing in wildlife without a permit, contrary to Section 95(c) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, Cap 376 of Kenyan law.

Two Belgians were arraigned at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts on April 14, 2025. /ODPP