New details have emerged on why a Limuru Court acquitted controversial tevelangelist James Ng'ang'a of Neno Evangelism Ministries who was accused of causing the death of a woman by dangerous driving in 2015.
Inconsistencies on the part of key prosecution witnesses greatly weakened the case against Ng'ang'a, it emerged.
Chief Magistrate George Oduor, who has since been transferred to Nakuru, explained that prosecution witnesses failed to place Ng'ang'a at the scene of the accident making it difficult to prove that he was behind the wheel of the red Range Rover at the time of the crash.
In the ruling read for Oduor by Senior Principal Magistrate Karen Njalule, it was noted that the witnesses claimed in court to have sighted Ng'ang'a at the accident scene but failed to do so in their statements to police.
Ms Mercy Njeri was killed in 2015 in the Manguo area of Limuru when Nganga's Range Rover crashed right into the Nissan she was riding in on July 26, 2015.
Though witnesses claimed they saw Ng'ang'a behind the wheel, another man Simon Kuria surfaced claiming to have been driving the vehicle.
[caption caption="James Ng'ang'a and Simon Kuria at a court in Limuru"]
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Kuria, a Kenya Police Airwing inspector known as Christopher Nzioka, and a police officer named Patrick Baya were the co-accused in the case.
A truck driver who testified recalled being overtaken by Nganga's vehicle on the day of the accident before he spotted the Pastor at the scene of the crime when he arrived there some time later.
His testimony was however dismissed, with the judge stating: “After being cross-examined by the accused’s counsel, he said that he had seen the accused in Naivasha, yet at the scene of the accident, he was asking who the occupants of the vehicles (of the cars that were involved in the accidents) were, which was a contradiction.”
Another witness claimed that standing only 10 metres away from the accident scene, he spotted Ng'ang'a crawling out of the Range Rover and getting in a Subaru headed to Nairobi.
He revealed that a crowd at the scene castigated Ng'ang'a for 'causing the accident' and he went on to take photos which were used as exhibits.
The Judge maintained that he had not captured Ng'ang'a at the scene of crime.
Ng'ang'a was charged with, among others, dangerous driving, causing an accident and failing to report it, and causing the death of Ms Njeri.
His vehicle also had an expired insurance certificate.
[caption caption="Family members carry Mercy Njeri's casket at her funeral"]
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