State seizes Sh13.4m recovered from Mathe wa Ngara

The court has allowed the state to seize Sh13.4 million belonging to Nancy Kigunzu aka Mathe Wa Ngara.

The cash was found in what is believed to be her home when police raided it on Tuesday August 15.

Police also seized marijuana and other hard drugs during the raid.

“That preservation and seizure order be and is hereby issued for Sh13,474,520 held at Central Bank of Kenya found in possession and seized from the respondent (Nancy Kigunzu),” read the court order.

The government argued that if the preservation orders were not issued, Ms Kigunzu could dispose of, transfer or dissipate the funds - and interfere with the evidence.

In the affidavits, police said the suspect intended to launder the money by bypassing the financial system by transporting the "bulky" cash.

"The investigation further revealed that the said fund was disguised and concealed, giving rise to reasonable suspicion of a money laundering scheme carried out in an effort to conceal the nature, source, location, destination, disposition and movement of the illicit funds contrary to the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act," the asset recovery agency said.

The money will remain in government custody for the next 90 days and the case will be mentioned on November 28.

Kigunzu, who had previously eluded the police dragnet, was later arrested in downtown Nairobi on Monday August 21 and detained at the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road.

She was caught in the dragnet days after sleuths arrested Teresia Wanjiru and three others.

After Ms Wanjiru's arrest, there were allegations that she was the notorious Mathe wa Ngara and her photos were circulated on police social media pages.

The 54-year-old mother of three later told the Nation that she had received a phone call from Kigunzu - the real Mathe wa Ngara.

The call, Teresia said, had been facilitated by a police officer at the station.

Kigunzu was listed by the NIS as a notorious drug dealer in 2018.

Ms Kigunzu is said to have compromised officers from various police stations in Nairobi and reportedly evaded arrest until June 2022, when she was last arrested before being released after paying a Sh500,000 fine.