Mathe wa Ngara denied bond as co-accused freed

Nancy Kigunzu, alias Mathe wa Ngara, has been denied bond by Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Magistrate Renee Kitangwa.

However, her co-accused, David Ochieng and Christopher Odipo, were released on a Sh1 million bond, with a surety of the same amount.

Ochieng, represented by lawyer Moses Dagaye alongside Odipo, had initially offered to testify against Kigunzu but later withdrew the offer.

On August 19, he had told Magistrate Kitangwa that he was merely a taxi driver when arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Unit and the Transnational Organized Crime Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

“I am ready to help the government obtain all the evidence it needs,” Ochieng had stated at the time.

Kigunzu, represented by lawyer Sophie Nekesa, has 14 days to appeal the ruling at the High Court.

The three suspects were arrested on August 9 at Georgina Apartments in Juja, Kiambu County. Police reported that they were found in possession of 18.3 kilograms of cannabis, valued at Sh6 million.

The suspects were arraigned in court on August 12 and charged with trafficking narcotics and conspiracy to traffic narcotics.

Ochieng and Odipo pleaded not guilty to both charges. Kigunzu pleaded guilty to the trafficking charge but denied the conspiracy charge.

Their bail ruling, originally scheduled for August 19, was delayed because the pre-bail report was not ready.

The case was mentioned on August 22 to confirm that the report had been provided to both the prosecution and defense.

State Prosecutor Allen Mulama argued against granting Kigunzu bond, stating that she was a repeat offender and could potentially interfere with witnesses.

He noted that she had previously been convicted at Kahawa Law Courts on charges of handling narcotics and was fined Sh0.5 million or sentenced to one year in jail.

Additionally, in August 2023, she was charged in another case involving narcotics valued at Sh18.3 million, and that case is still ongoing.