Illegal Mining Crackdown: Chinese Nationals Jailed in West Pokot Quartz Operation
A Kenyan court has handed seven Chinese nationals a seven-year prison sentence each after they were found guilty of conducting unlicensed mining operations in Pokot Central. The illegal activities, uncovered during a raid on February 12, 2025, took place along the environmentally sensitive Wei-Wei River in Sigor.
According to officials from the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs—working in conjunction with the Mining Investigations Unit—the group was caught red-handed extracting minerals without the required permits. Authorities seized industrial machinery and several vehicles during the sting operation.
Identities and Charges Revealed
The convicted individuals—Wang Youping, Xian Zhenming, He Zhouming, Wang Xiaodong, Zhao Zhenwei, Guan Qiang, and Deng Chun—were arraigned at Kapenguria Law Courts, where they all pleaded guilty before Principal Magistrate Nelly Kenei.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) reported that mineral samples from the site tested positive for quartz, confirming the operation’s commercial nature. Investigators also revealed that two of the accused, Zhenming and Chun, lacked both work permits and alien registration, rendering their presence in Kenya unlawful.
Sentencing and Fines
Each of the seven convicts was ordered to pay Ksh3 million for engaging in illegal mining, along with an additional Ksh400,000 penalty for working in Kenya without proper documentation. Failure to pay will see them serve a year in jail per offence.
Moreover, Zhenming and Chun received an extra Ksh200,000 fine—or six months' imprisonment—for being in the country without legal immigration status. All sentences will be served consecutively, and the group is expected to be deported after completing their jail terms.
Kenya Escalates Crackdown on Foreign Environmental Crimes
This high-profile conviction is part of a broader crackdown on environmental and wildlife-related crimes committed by foreigners in Kenya. Just days earlier, four individuals—including two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan—were arrested and charged for illegally trafficking live queen ants.
They were found with over 5,000 queen ants, carefully packed in test tubes and allegedly intended for export. The exotic insects, seized at a guest house in Naivasha, had an estimated street value of over Ksh1 million.
Kenya's law enforcement agencies, backed by the ODPP and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), have intensified surveillance to tackle illegal trade and ecological crimes, especially those involving rare species and natural resources.
