Kenya’s farmers are reeling under the weight of betrayal after revelations that a Chinese national, Chen Fangfang (Passport No. EL1050576), has been at the center of an elaborate smuggling network exporting raw macadamia nuts to China — in open defiance of Kenyan law.
Chen entered Kenya on April 6 under the pretense of tourism. But her mission was anything but leisure. Within days, she was in Thika town sourcing nuts, hiring locals to help load shipments, and setting in motion a criminal scheme that not only robbed farmers of fair returns but also exposed dangerous loopholes at Kenya’s ports.
Ghost Shipments and Fake Declarations
By April 12, Chen and her aide, Davis Muchoki Muriithi, had already loaded their first container (No. FFAU6547030). The paperwork showed the goods were tarpaulins consigned to Starke Group LDA in Mozambique. The reality? Raw macadamia nuts, bound for Ningbo, China.
Encouraged by the ease of this deception, Chen pushed harder. Six more containers quickly followed, falsely declared as “tarpaulins, awnings, and sunblinds.” Shockingly, while the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) listed them as “on hold” in Mombasa, by August three of these containers had already slipped through and landed in China.
The containers included:
PCIU9329018
GAOU7572631
CIPU5254319
This brazen breach of port control raises damning questions: Who facilitated these shipments? Who signed off on goods listed as “on hold” but found their way across the Indian Ocean?
A Tourist Visa Turned Business License
For nearly half a year, Chen operated freely in Kenya on nothing more than a tourist visa. During this time, she engaged in outright illegal trade, avoided taxation, and successfully exported goods that the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has banned for years to protect local farmers. The AFA ban is clear: no raw macadamia should leave Kenya. Value addition — processing, packaging, and exporting finished products — is what sustains local industry. Chen’s actions undermined this entire system.
Almost Caught Again
On September 3, Chen was caught on surveillance at Mombasa Port, once again attempting to load three more containers using the same fraudulent scheme. This time, authorities flagged the shipment before it left the country, exposing just how close Kenya came to losing yet another consignment to smugglers.
Who Failed Kenyans?
The Chen Fangfang saga leaves behind disturbing questions:
How did she live and conduct business for months without the Immigration Department intervening?
Why was she not flagged after the first container left?
How did KPA’s “on hold” records vanish into thin air while goods sailed to China?
Who are the Kenyan insiders profiting from this racket?
Farmers Cheated, Country Embarrassed
Every stolen shipment represents not just lost revenue but direct sabotage of Kenya’s macadamia farmers. By exporting raw nuts illegally, smugglers deny local processors the chance to create jobs and add value. Chen’s operations are a slap in the face to farmers who depend on macadamia for their livelihoods, and a stain on the credibility of Kenya’s port systems.
The truth is clear: Chen did not act alone. A network of enablers, loopholes, and compromised officials made this heist possible. Unless those responsible are unmasked and punished, Kenya’s ports will remain a playground for cartels who mock the law and strip farmers of their sweat.
