Illegal Export of Raw Macadamia Nuts: Case of Chen Fangfang

The case began on April 6, when Chinese national Chen Fangfang (Passport No. EL1050576) entered Kenya on a tourist visa. Despite the visa’s stated purpose, her true intention was not tourism but the purchase of raw macadamia nuts for export to China.

Kenya’s Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has strictly prohibited the export of raw macadamia nuts to protect local farmers and support domestic value addition.

However, Chen knowingly violated this law in pursuit of profit.

Operation

From the day Chen stepped onto Kenyan soil, she was aware her activities were illegal but proceeded in pursuit of profit.

She began sourcing nuts in Thika town, hiring Davis Muchoki Muriithi to assist with collection.

Within one week of her arrival, by April 12, they had loaded their first container (No. FFAU6547030). The declared consignee was Starke Group LDA, a company registered in Mozambique, but the real destination was Ningbo, China.

To conceal the shipment, the in-shell macadamia nuts were falsely declared as tarpaulins.

Encouraged by this initial success, Chen planned additional shipments. By mid-April, she had loaded six more containers using the same scheme: the same Mozambican consignee (Starke Group LDA) and false descriptions such as tarpaulins, awnings, and sunblinds, all destined for Ningbo, China.

The containers included PCIU9329018, GAOU7572631, CIPU5254319, PCIU9171853, PIDU4143635, and PCIU9237061.

By August, three containers (PCIU9329018, GAOU7572631, and CIPU5254319) had successfully reached China.

However, when checking their status in the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) system, these containers still showed as “hold” with no gate-out date, indicating they should still be at Mombasa Port.

This discrepancy raises serious questions about how these containers bypassed official port controls to reach China.

The investigation revealed that by June, three of Chen’s containers had been caught by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) at Mombasa Port.

However, months later, her containers were found to be in China and on their way to China, suggesting systematic failures in enforcement.

By September 3, Chen remained active at Mombasa Port, attempting to smuggle three additional containers.

Surveillance images confirmed her presence at the port, where she had nearly succeeded in loading the containers onto a vessel before the shipment was flagged and held at the port.

This case raises pressing questions about Kenya’s export control systems.

How was a foreign national able to remain in Kenya for approximately six months on a tourist visa while conducting illegal business activities?

Why was she not prosecuted or deported earlier, despite operating illegally without paying taxes on her business activities?

How did containers previously intercepted by KRA in June eventually reach China?

What systematic failures allowed containers marked as “hold” in KPA records to leave the port without proper documentation?

How was the same individual able to continue smuggling operations after initial detection?

The Chen Fangfang case exposes critical vulnerabilities in Kenya’s export control and port security systems.

The case demonstrates not only the need for enhanced enforcement at Kenya’s ports but also the urgent requirement for better coordination between KRA, KPA, and immigration authorities.

The ability of a foreign national to conduct repeated illegal export operations over six months while evading taxation and prosecution represents a significant failure in regulatory oversight that demands immediate systematic reforms.