The presiding magistrate in a case where Teresia Wanjiru, also known as fake Mathe wa Ngara, was arraigned to face charges of drug peddling was astounded to learn the accused was not present in court as ordered earlier.
Magistrate Njeri Thuku's concerns stemmed from a request made by the defence team on Tuesday, asking the Criminal Court proceedings to be halted until their client's whereabouts are revealed.
Wanjiru's legal team claimed it encountered challenges tracing her at Muthaiga Police Station, where she was booked and detained. They then embarked on a search mission across multiple stations, hoping she was transferred.
However, their efforts proved futile as they appeared in court without the client.
Simultaneously, the two minors who were apprehended alongside Wanjiru were conspicuously absent from the courtroom at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Wanjiru's family members had earlier lamented that fake Mathe wa Ngara was ill, hadn't been attended to over the weekend while in detention and was sleeping on a cold floor.
It was yet to be ascertained whether she was rushed to a hospital as the family did not clarify if they visited any health facility to trace her.
Nonetheless, the lawyers expressed concerns that the old lady's life could be in danger since the police simply declined to provide any information about her health conditions.
They thus urged the judge to probe the police to explain why the 54-year-old lady was not in court for a bail hearing, a request she granted.
However, the police could not provide an explanation, prompting the judge to suspend the bail hearing until they account for her whereabouts.
Wanjiru's case also took a new twist and turn after the police arrested the real Mathe wa Ngara, Nancy Kigunzu, yesterday night.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Kigunzu's lawyer Danstan Omari confirmed that Wanjiru was not available for the hearing promoting the court also to suspend a bail application for his client.
"We can only blame the police, who the Magistrate had previously ordered to produce the old lady in court after holding her for more than five days, yet they failed to bring her before the Magistrate," Omari lamented.
Magistrate Thuku ordered the police to produce Nancy Kigunzu in court tomorrow, Wednesday, August 23, at 9.30 am for her bail application and hearing.
Thuku also ordered an age assessment on Kigunzu’s sons, who were also reportedly arrested. She instructed the police to verify whether they were underage, as alleged, a factor that could potentially impede their scheduled arraignment.
The prosecution, however, pledged to counter the real Mathe wa Ngara's release by applying to detain her for five days pending investigations into drug peddling.
