Joyce Akinyi: From hotel owner and now convicted heroin trafficker

Joyce Teresia Akinyi, once a prominent businesswoman in Kenya, has been convicted for her involvement in a large-scale heroin trafficking operation. [File, Standard]

Joyce Teresia Akinyi, once a prominent businesswoman in Kenya, has been convicted for her involvement in a large-scale heroin trafficking operation that exposed her ties to criminal networks.

Akinyi, whose name was long associated with controversy and illicit activities, now faces life imprisonment after being found guilty of trafficking heroin worth Sh5 million.

Her conviction by the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Court marks the end of her years of evading the law.

The court will hand down the sentence on December 10.

She was first introduced to the public when she married Chinedu, a Nigerian businessman with whom she was frequently arrested on charges of drug trafficking.

The two met in 1998, cohabited, and had two children before formalising their marriage. Their relationship was marred by a series of arrests related to drug trafficking. 

In June 2013, Chinedu was deported from Kenya after authorities discovered narcotics in his possession.

Akinyi continued her business operations, which increasingly became associated with criminal activity. 

Her once-thriving Deep West Resort in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area was eventually revealed to be a hub for her illegal activities, particularly drug trafficking.

Akinyi’s legal troubles peaked in 2019 when she was arrested for trafficking heroin. On July 13, 2019, a police raid at the Deep West Resort uncovered 2kg of heroin, valued at Sh5 million, hidden in a shoe rack.

According to evidence presented in court, the drugs were found in one of the rooms at the hotel, which Akinyi used as an office to meet people and gave instructions for it to be opened to specific individuals. 

This discovery led to charges against Akinyi and her co-accused, Paulin Kalala Musankinshay and Peres Adhiambo, for drug trafficking.

The prosecution presented compelling evidence that Akinyi was not only trafficking heroin from Pakistan but also using her resort to coordinate and facilitate the trade.

 The court convicted Akinyi under Section 4(a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act, which stipulates life imprisonment for trafficking in narcotics.

In addition to the potential life sentence, Akinyi could also face a fine of up to Sh5 million. Her co-accused, Kalala and Peres, face similar penalties. 

Akinyi’s case was further complicated by her possession of forged Kenyan passports during her arrest. 

She was convicted of possessing passports under the name of individuals who were not her own. 

This offence, under Kenyan law, carries a prison term of up to 10 years. Evidence showed that Akinyi had used multiple forged passports to travel abroad, often under different aliases, highlighting the extent of her involvement in international criminal networks.

One of the key pieces of evidence against Akinyi was the discovery of a Tabita Digital Scale in her resort room, a tool commonly associated with drug trafficking operations.

In her judgment, Magistrate Njeri Thuku, who convicted Akinyi, also highlighted the presence of a Tabita Digital Scale, a device typically used to measure microgrammes and grammes.

The compact size of the scale, which can fit into a handbag, was described as a tell-tale sign of drug trafficking.

‘‘It is normal to find desktops and laptops in a room converted into an office, but it is not normal to find a digital weighing scale,’’ Thuku remarked.”

Recovered heroin

Officers from the Anti-Narcotic Unit testified that they recovered heroin wrapped in white cello tape from the shoe rack in the room where Akinyi and Kalala were present during the search.

“Akinyi and Kalala were in the room together and they had exclusive possession. They witnessed the room being searched and the recovery of the drug from the shoe rack. I dismiss the defence offered by both Akinyi and Kalala because l find that it lacks merit,” Thuku ruled. 

The court also dismissed Akinyi’s defence that the drugs were planted by her enemies, including her estranged husband, Chinedu, and others jealous of her success. 

The prosecution’s evidence, including photographs taken during the arrest, firmly established Akinyi’s role in the trafficking operation. 

These photos depicted Akinyi in a room with a suitcase, a black handbag, and packages of drugs.

Moreover, the evidence of Akinyi’s use of forged passports further weakened her defence. 

The court found that Akinyi could not provide a reasonable explanation for why she had a passport belonging to Jackline Glory Achieng Kwendo, and her claim that it was one of many identification documents left by guests was dismissed.

Akinyi was found to have several passports under different names, including an East African passport in her own name and two Congolese passports under the names of Mape Marline Kambura and Raha Eveline Kambere. 

These documents had allowed Akinyi to travel internationally, often under false identities.

Joyce Teresia Akinyi, once a prominent businesswoman in Kenya, has been convicted for her involvement in a large-scale heroin trafficking operation. [File, Standard]

The magistrate stated that the evidence from officers in the Immigration department confirmed that the passport A2298844 in the name of Jackline was genuine and had been used to travel several times.

Peres Anyango, one of her co-conspirators, was also implicated in using multiple fake passports for international travel. 

According to evidence from immigration, Peres travelled to Dubai and Qatar through JKIA on May 14, 2007, and May 7, 2014, respectively.

In December 2018, Peres also travelled to Congo via Rwanda using a Congolese passport in the name of Eveline Kambere.

Peres, who is on the run, is also said to have three passports with different names, including Millicent Okoth Omondi and Everline Raha Kambere.

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Peres and Akinyi also travelled in 2019 to the United Arab Emirates using passports under different names.

In addition to the forged passports, audio messages retrieved from Akinyi’s phone provided further incriminating evidence. 

The messages, dated July 11 and 12, 2019, indicated that Akinyi had informed her co-conspirator, Peres, of a planned trip to Kampala shortly before her arrest, showing that she was actively involved in coordinating criminal operations.

Over the years, Akinyi found herself at the centre of several arrests, most of which were linked to drug trafficking.

In 2008, she was arrested in New Delhi, India, alongside former Budalang’i MP Raphael Wanjala after customs officers found undeclared cash worth Sh 7.59 million in their possession.

The authorities suspected the money was intended for purchasing drugs, but they were eventually released after intervention by the Kenyan government. 

This arrest set the tone for Akinyi’s subsequent legal troubles.

In 2013, Akinyi and Wanjala were arrested again, this time on the Nairobi-Namanga highway, where police found a suspicious white powder in their possession.

Though they claimed it was maize flour, the police suspected otherwise. As with previous cases, Akinyi and Wanjala managed to avoid serious charges and were released. 

In 2021, Akinyi lost two high-end vehicles worth Sh20 million to the State as they were deemed proceeds of crime linked to drug trafficking.

Milimani High Court Anti-Corruption Judge Esther Maina ruled that Akinyi could not explain the source of her wealth, concluding that she acquired the vehicles through illicit drug trafficking following her numerous arrests and prosecutions.

The Asset Recovery Agency investigation revealed that Akinyi had been part of a complex drug trafficking network led by Chinedu before his deportation. The agency discovered that Akinyi had deposited large sums of money into her bank accounts ranging from Sh60,000 to Sh20 million suggesting illegal sources of income.

Furthermore, she had invested in real estate, constructing and purchasing villas, which she later sold or leased.