Wamuzi News Ke
Seven Chinese nationals have been slammed with seven-year prison terms after being busted for running unauthorized mining operations deep within Kenya’s Pokot Central Sub-County!
The dramatic arrests happened on February 12, 2025, when a joint sting operation by Kenya’s Mining Investigations Unit and officers from the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs stormed an illegal mining site along the Wei-Wei River in Sigor. The suspects—Wang Youping, Xian Zhenming, He Zhouming, Wang Xiaodong, Zhao Zhenwei, Guan Qiang, and Deng Chun—were caught red-handed with machinery and vehicles actively extracting minerals without a single license in sight.
Authorities revealed a shocking twist: Xian Zhenming and Deng Chun were not only mining illegally but were also in the country without work permits or legal registration! Lab tests confirmed the presence of valuable quartz in the minerals they were extracting.
When dragged before Principal Magistrate Nelly Kenei at the Kapenguria Law Courts, the accused had no choice but to plead guilty. Each of them was hit with a Ksh3 million fine for illegal mining, plus an additional Ksh400,000 for operating without permits. Failure to pay means an extra year behind bars per charge. Zhenming and Chun also received Ksh200,000 fines for illegal presence in Kenya, or an additional six months in prison.
All convicts are set for deportation to China after serving their full sentences, which will run consecutively.
This case has sent shockwaves across the country as Kenya tightens the noose around foreign nationals exploiting its natural resources. And the crackdown isn’t over!
In another sensational bust just days earlier, authorities apprehended two Belgians, a Vietnamese, and a Kenyan for smuggling live queen ants. The foreigners were caught in a guesthouse in Naivasha, hiding over 5,000 queen ants in 2,244 tubes—a haul worth over Ksh1 million on the black market!
The message from Kenyan authorities is loud and clear: Illegal activities on our soil will not be tolerated—no matter where you’re from! 🌍⚖️
