Following a case that made headlines, where four individuals were found trafficking 5,000 live queen garden ants valued at Ksh1.2 million, prosecutors have presented a Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) report detailing how brokers are benefiting from it.
Appearing in court on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) cited a comprehensive report from KWS, highlighting the ecological and economic significance of the ants, as well as the rising threat of biological material smuggling.
Allen Mulama, Paula Rono, and Bramwel Shitsama informed the court that ants were being smuggled using specially modified test tubes manufactured in China.
“These containers are engineered to bypass airport scanners and can sustain live ants for up to two months, complicating detection efforts,” they said.
They explained that, according to the KWS report, the ants are usually misdeclared as wooden carvings or toys.
Brokers role
The prosecutors gave an example captured in the KWS report, which gave an emerging trend in wildlife crime involving the trafficking of live insects, including queen ants and praying mantises.
“Since 2019, authorities have reported a growing number of similar interceptions at JKIA and at courier facilities in Nairobi, Gilgil, and Naivasha,” they told the court.
They informed the court that brokers buy a single queen ant at Ksh50, which fetches approximately Ksh15,000 in European markets.
“In the local supply chain, a single queen ant is sold to brokers for around Ksh50, who then resell them for approximately Ksh150. In European markets, however, they can fetch between 60 and 100 euros each (Ksh9000 and Ksh15,000), used primarily for culinary and decorative purposes,” they narrated.
Role of ants
The DPP also submitted a report from the National Museums of Kenya, authored by a leading entomologist. The report underscored the critical ecological roles played by ants, including pest control, seed dispersal, soil aeration, nutrient recycling, and serving as indicators of environmental health and climate change.
The entomologist warned that mass harvesting of queen ants could lead to local extinctions, destabilise ecosystems, limit plant nutrient availability, and contribute to the spread of invasive species.
