The High Court has issued a directive for the surrender of over Ksh.13 million seized from Nancy Kigunzu, also known as ‘Mathe wa Ngara,’ to the government.
‘Mathe Wa Ngara’ was apprehended in August last year in connection to a narcotics operation in Nairobi’s Ngara district. The operation led to the confiscation of substantial amounts of marijuana and Ksh.13.4 million in cash.
Following a court ruling, the funds were transferred to Kenya’s Central Bank on August 25, 2024. The court determined that the money was acquired through criminal activities.
Subsequently, the Assets Recovery Authority (ARA) sought court approval, asserting that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the money constitutes direct or indirect proceeds of crime, derived from a sophisticated money laundering scheme, and therefore should be forfeited to the state.
In a verdict delivered by Justice Esther Maina, the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi declared that the money indeed represented the profits of criminal activities and should thus be surrendered to the state.
“Upon establishing that the funds are derived from criminal activities, I am compelled to forfeit them to the state (the Government of Kenya) in accordance with the law,” ruled the court.
“The only plausible inference this court can make is that the money was concealed in such a manner to evade detection by authorities. Therefore, it falls within the definition of proceeds of crime,” the court emphasized.
