Government Moves to Confiscate 'Mathe wa Ngara’s' Apartment and Vehicles

The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) has asked the High Court to forfeit motor vehicles, an apartment in Juja, and several parcels of land linked to alleged narcotics activities involving Nancy Indoveria Kigunzu, known as Mathe wa Ngara.

The application follows investigations launched after Kigunzu’s 2023 arrest on drug-trafficking charges. Police say a raid on her Juja apartment uncovered narcotics and equipment in a room described as a control hub, leading to additional arrests now before the courts. 

According to ARA, the properties under dispute, located in Kiambu, Vihiga, and Kakamega counties, are proceeds of crime acquired through illicit trade and shielded through money-laundering schemes. Court filings indicate that Kigunzu repeatedly transferred the assets to third parties to conceal the source of the funds. 

The targeted property list includes three motor vehicles, the Georgina apartment in Juja-Kalimoni, and several land parcels registered under her name and those of associates such as George Jumba Inguti and Scolastica Wambui Kibathi. Additional plots in Chavakali, Vihiga County, are also part of the forfeiture bid.

This case follows an earlier ruling in 2024 in which Kigunzu lost Sh13.4 million after the court declared cash found stored in sacks at her home to be proceeds of crime. Judges at the time noted that she had not provided a credible explanation for keeping such large sums outside the banking system.

ARA has already obtained interim orders blocking Kigunzu and her associates from selling or transferring the properties. It now seeks permanent forfeiture, arguing that the assets were illegally obtained and should be surrendered to the State.