The government has moved to seize assets worth millions of shillings belonging to suspected drug trafficker Nancy Indiveria Kigunzu, popularly known as Mathe wa Ngara. High Court Judge Benjamin Musyoki ordered a freeze on properties suspected of being bought with illicit funds.
The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) obtained court orders freezing several properties, including apartments, cars, and parcels of land, suspected to have been acquired through proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.
A report by Nation reveals High Court Judge Benjamin Musyoki granted the ARA’s request, issuing orders to block Kigunzu and her associates from selling, transferring, or dealing with the properties.
Among the targeted assets are an apartment in Juja-Kalimoni and multiple plots registered in her name or under the names of George Jumba Inguti and Scolastica Wambui Kibathi, who are alleged proxies. The properties under the spotlight also include three parcels of land in Chavakali, Vihiga county
“That an order is hereby issued directing the Chief Land Registrar to register a caveat against the records of the properties specified,” the judge said. Additionally, Kigunzu was ordered to surrender the logbooks of three vehicles within seven days.
Why did court freeze Mathe Wa Ngara’s assets The court decision comes following investigations that began in 2023 after Kigunzu was arrested and charged with narcotics trafficking. During a police raid at the Juja apartment, authorities discovered a room labelled ‘control room,’ where drugs and other items were recovered.
The items included rent receipts, passports, vaccination certificates, a Qatari Airways boarding pass, and visa applications. The ARA, represented by lawyer Bernard Gitonga, revealed that Kigunzu strategically registered the properties under the names of her associates to hide the illicit origins of the funds used to purchase them.
“Investigations established that the 1st respondent acquired the assets using the proceeds from the illegitimate trade in narcotic drugs and registered them under her name and the names of her proxies to conceal and disguise the source of the funds used to procure the said assets,” Gitonga told the court.
by Didacus Malowa