7 Chinese Citizens Jailed In Kenya As Ruto Visits China
Seven Chinese nationals have been sentenced to seven years in prison for illegally mining in Kenya.
The seven were charged by the Kapenguria Law Courts with illegal mining along the Wei-Wei River in Sigor, Pokot Central Sub-County.
The defendants – Wang Youping, Xian Zhenming, He Zhouming, Wang Xiaodong, Zhao Zhenwei, Guan Qiang, and Deng Chun – were arrested on February 12, 2025.
This occurred during a combined operation between the Mining Investigations Unit and officials from the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs.
The team identified unlawful mining activities and recovered many machines and trucks from the site.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) acknowledged that the defendants did not have legal licences.
DPP secures conviction of seven Chinese nationals over illegal mining in West Pokot
— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) April 22, 2025
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), through Counsel Mokaya Stephen and Gregory Suter, secured the conviction of seven Chinese nationals at the Kapenguria Law Courts for illegal mining… pic.twitter.com/nkMwYHcGB9
They also found that two of the accused, Xian Zhenming and Deng Chun, were in the country without work licenses or alien registration, and mineral samples from the site tested positive for quartz.
Last Thursday, all seven pled guilty in front of Principal Magistrate Nelly Kenei.
Each was fined Ksh3 million for illegal mining and Ksh400,000 for working without permission or faced a year in prison for each offense.
In addition, two of them were fined Ksh200,000 for unlawful presence or sentenced to six months in prison.
They will be repatriated to their country upon completion of their sentences, with all the sentences set to run consecutively.
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The developments come at a time when Kenyan agencies have heightened the war on foreigners engaging in unlawful activities within the territorial boundaries.
SEVEN CHINESE NATIONALS CONVICTED FOR ILLEGAL MINING IN WEST POKOT
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) April 18, 2025
Seven Chinese nationals have been convicted by the Kapenguria Law Courts for engaging in illegal mining activities along the Wei-Wei River in Sigor, Pokot Central Sub-County.
Their arrest followed an operation… pic.twitter.com/csMjwe3jIX
On April 14, four people, including two Belgians, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession and trading of live queen ants.
The two Belgians were brought before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts after being apprehended on April 5, 2025, at a guest house in the Lake View neighborhood of Naivasha, Nakuru County, while in possession of live queen ants.
According to the ODPP, the two were caught with roughly 5,000 live queen ants packed in 2,244 tubes, worth an estimated Ksh1 million on the street.
7 Chinese Citizens Jailed In Kenya As Ruto Visits China
