Mathe Wa Ngara Denied Bail
Thuku added that granting her bond was not in the best interests of justice.
Marvin Chege 
Suspected drug trafficker Nancy Kigunzu alias Mathe wa Ngara has been denied bail.
Magistrate Njeri Thuku issued the ruling on Thursday, August 31, with the court stating in its decision on the bail application that the businesswoman is a flight risk due to her involvement in drug trafficking.
Thuku added that granting her bond was not in the best interests of justice.
She and the third accused, Eugine Jumbo, who was also denied bail, will remain in custody until the drug trafficking case is heard and decided.
Mathe wa Ngara sobbing uncontrollably following her arrest in Nairobi CBD on August 21, 2023. /TWITTER
However, her co-accused, Teresia Wanjiru, has been granted Ksh50,000 cash bail, though with imposed conditions.
She will be required to provide contact information for two people, one of whom is a blood relative, and to appear before the Magistrate Court at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) within seven days to file a social report.
Mathe wa Ngara has been detained since her arrest on Monday night, August 21, in connection to drug trafficking and possession during a police operation in Nairobi, days after a drug bust in Nairobi's Ngara area also saw Ksh13.4 million in cash seized.
The money was seized by police when police raided Kigunzu's drug den. However, the High Court last Friday ordered that the amount seized be deposited into the Assets and Recovery Agency’s (ARA) preservation account at a local bank.
Kigunzu, who dramatically collapsed in court during a bail hearing on Monday, August 28, earlier told the court that she suffers from anxiety and sought orders allowing her some time off the police station to access medical treatment.
Appearing before Magistrate Thuku, Kigunzu dismissed allegations that she was a flight risk and that she would abscond court proceedings.
Through her lawyer Danstan Omari, Kigunzu said although she was arrested in Nairobi CBD, her children were arrested in a residential house, arguing that she has a home and the police officers know.
She further refuted claims that she would interfere with witnesses in the case, adding that all the witnesses are police officers and she has no powers to interfere with them.
Also present in court were Kigunzu’s co-accused Teresia Wanjiru and two others, who also sought to be released on bail. Through their lawyers, the accused persons stated that the prosecution has not established compelling reasons to warrant their stay in remand.
Wanjiru was revealed to have been wrongfully arrested during the police raid at the Ngara drug den, which triggered a manhunt for the actual suspect.
