A senior official at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been charged at the Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court for allegedly forging a master’s degree certificate.

The court heard that Caroline Sabiri Manyange, on an unknown date and place within the Republic of Kenya, forged a Master of Arts (Population Studies) degree certificate with the intent to deceive, purporting it to be a genuine certificate issued by the University of Nairobi during the congregation held on May 9, 2004.

The accused is also facing four other charges of uttering a false document contrary to Section 353 of the Penal Code and giving false information to a person employed in public service, contrary to Section 129(A) of the Penal Code. Prosecuting counsel Victor Onyiego informed the court that on April 4, 2021, at the IEBC offices in Nairobi, the accused knowingly and fraudulently presented a false document, namely the Master of Arts certificate, to the Human Resources and Administration Committee while they were conducting the suitability test for the position of Manager, Delimitation of Boundaries, claiming it to be a genuine document issued to her by the University of Nairobi.

She is also alleged to have given false information to the Officer in Charge of the Nyayo Police Post on May 6, 2024, by filing a complaint report for the loss of her university college certificate.

Additionally, on May 5, at the University of Nairobi, she allegedly provided false information to the Deputy Registrar of Examinations by stating in her application for a letter in lieu of the lost certificate that she holds a master’s degree in Population Studies obtained in 2003 from the University of Nairobi.

She pleaded not guilty to all charges before Principal Magistrate Isabellah Barasa and was released on a cash bail of Ksh 200,000 or an alternative bond of Ksh 1 million. The case is scheduled for mention on October 28 for pre-trial.

City attorney Stephen Juma Ndeda is facing multiple serious criminal charges, including money laundering, forgery, and uttering forged documents.

He recently appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa at the Kahawa Law Courts, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges leveled against him.

The charges stem from a series of transactions and alleged fraudulent activities that took place in June 2023.

One of the key accusations against Ndeda involves an incident on June 20, 2023, at UBA Kenya Bank’s Upper Hill branch in Nairobi. According to the prosecution, Ndeda received USD 52,490 (approximately KSh 6.8 million) from a company based in Bulgaria, Algans Eood, through an account registered under his law firm, Ndeda & Company Advocates.

The prosecution claims that Ndeda intended to conceal the origin of the funds, which they argue were the proceeds of crime. These funds were purportedly involved in a suspicious transaction that raised red flags regarding money laundering activities.

The prosecution further alleges that Ndeda knowingly presented a forged sale agreement on June 20, 2023, to one Calvins Gwaro Nyamwange.

The sale agreement, concerning Land Parcel Number KJD/KEEKONYOKIE/ILKISUMET/3371, was falsely presented as legitimate and signed by one Andrew Immanuel Simuyu, who was listed as the vendor. This action was allegedly undertaken with the intent to defraud.

Additionally, on or around June 14, 2023, Ndeda is accused of forging another sale agreement at his office in View Park Towers, Nairobi.

This forged document was also related to Land Parcel Number KJD/KEEKONYOKIE/ILKISUMET/3371 and involved a transaction between Simuyu and a company named Alguns Limited, purporting to sell the property for KSh 60 million, with KSh 5 million to be paid as an initial deposit.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has indicated that the funds in question were wired to Ndeda’s account by a different entity, Algans Eood, based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Algans Eood is reportedly involved in arms trading, which led authorities to suspect an international syndicate possibly linked to money laundering and arms smuggling.

The bank flagged the transaction, and the funds were subsequently reversed due to non-compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.

Ndeda has been released on a bond of KSh 1 million or a cash bail of KSh 200,000 as he awaits the hearing and determination of his case.

The High Court on Thursday extended the warrants of arrest issued against Mr. Mohammed Baa, a senior police officer.

Mr Baa is charged alongside his colleagues for crimes against humanity including murder relating to the unlawful killing of Baby Samantha Pendo in Kisumu’s Nyalenda Slums in 2017.

Mr. Baa and 11 other senior officers namely Titus Yoma, Titus Mutune, John Chengo, Linah Kogey, Benjamin Koima, Benjamin Lorema, Volker Edambo, Cyprine Robe, Josphat Sensira, Mohammed Ali Guyo and James Rono face the said charges following the events of the 2017 Post-Election Violence.

The charges were instituted under the International Crimes Act, 2008 considering the role played by each of the suspects on the basis of the international law principle of superior responsibility.

Lady Justice Lilian Mutende directed the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Douglas Kanja, to execute the warrants, and apprehend and bring Mr. Baa before court to take plea.

Mr. Baa, the 11th accused person, has severally failed to attend court despite the warrants having been issued against him.

During today’s mention of the case, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Vincent Monda, informed the court of the instructions of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Renson Ingonga, OGW, that all the accused persons had to be present before plea could be taken, as proceeding in Mr. Baa’s absence would not be in the interest of justice.

“The DPP has directed that we inform this honourable court that all suspects must be present before the plea can be taken. The DPP intends to make an opening statement outlining the role each of each accused person in the commission of the said offences,” Monda submitted.

The DPP emphasized the significance of the case noting that it is the first time the State would be prosecuting anyone under the International Crimes Act and on the basis of the principle of superior responsibility, thus the need to ensure that the process is handled correctly from the start.

The DPP is represented in the case by a strong team of prosecutors including Mr. Monda, Senior Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mark Barasa and Jalson Makori, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms. Gichuhi Gikui, Senior Principal Prosecution Counsel, Ms. Christine Kathambi, Principal Prosecution Counsel, Mr. Victor Owiti, and Prosecution Counsel, Ms. Becky Arunga.

The court set the fresh plea date for 5th November 2024, when Mr. Baa should be produced in court in compliance with the warrants.

In response to the victims’ counsel insistence that the plea had to proceed without Mr. Baa, the court reiterated that the power to prosecute is vested in the DPP, with (the) victims having a nominal though important role.

The High Court had in July 2024, dismissed the suspects’ applications challenging the jurisdiction of the court to handle charges under the International Crimes Act.

In the depths of Shakahola forest, dubbed ‘Jangwani,’ lay sections with Biblical names like Bethlehem, Capernaum, Samaria, Galilee, and Judah. Galilee, the abode of Mackenzie, became a sinister sanctuary.

A minor under witness protection on Thursday recounted how parents were commanded to starve their children, promising them a celestial meeting with Christ in Heaven.

On the fourth day of this week’s hearing, the witness painfully recounted how his mother, blinded by Mackenzie’s teachings, led him and his brother into the dreaded forest.

She ensured they dropped out of primary school in Mshomoroni, Mombasa. In October 2020, armed with nothing but clothes and a few utensils, the mother and her two sons sneaked out while their father, a matatu driver in Mombasa, was away.

They boarded a matatu from Mshomoroni to Malindi. At Mackenzie’s church, they were ushered into a lorry, with the final stop being Shakahola forest.

Soon after, forced fasting was introduced. Mackenzie claimed to have conversed with Jesus, who revealed that ‘the Son of God’ would no longer come to earth; instead, men would meet him in heaven through ‘fasting’ to death.

The witness recounted the alarming deaths of children, especially those under six years. The tragic highlight was the passing of four siblings, all under ten years old.

The brothers, unimpressed by the ordeal, attempted to escape the hunger by fleeing from the highly guarded forest. However, fate intervened, and they were recaptured by Mackenzie’s operatives while waiting for a vehicle by the roadside.

They were taken to Mackenzie’s home and ordered to be guarded until their mother’s return. They had no choice but to join the other children in fasting.

Tragically, the witness’s 10-year-old brother succumbed to the fasting after a month. The witness narrated how he was separated from his mother a few days later.

Upon inquiring about her whereabouts, he was shocked to learn of her passing. Fortunately, police officers arrived just in time to rescue them, taking them through a delicate process of treatment and counselling.

As the listeners absorbed the shocking narration, a somber mood engulfed the courtroom. The next witness, a Muslim minor, recounted how he once fell ill at their home in Malindi.

His mother and sister took him to Mackenzie’s Good News International Church for prayers. Feeling better after the prayers, their faith strengthened, and they decided to follow Mackenzie’s teachings, quoting Bible verses like Colossians 2:8 and 2:20.

This led him and his sister to drop out of class 4 and 6 respectively and avoid hospital visits, enrolling in ‘Biblical study’ classes at Mackenzie’s church.

The witness narrated that they were rescued by law enforcement officers and later returned to school against his mother’s wishes, while his sister opted for early marriage.

Despite this, their mother remained devoted to Mackenzie’s twisted teachings. In 2020, she sold household goods, claiming she was heading to their other home in Kakoneni.

A year later, she returned, appearing feeble, revealing she had been in Shakahola and intended to return. Despite the witness’s pleas, she was unmoved and returned to Shakahola in February 2023.

The witness never saw her again. The session ended with an adjournment of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Proceeds of Crime Act cases facing Mackenzie and his 92 co-accused persons until October 28, 2024.

Coordinated efforts between detectives, traffic, and general duties officers from Voi Police Station saw the arrest of a trafficker who attempted to slip through officer’s fingers, seizing Bhang worth over Sh7 million in the streets.

The trafficker, Collins Otieno Angwech, 50, was behind the wheel of a grey Voxy KCK 054X, crammed to the gills with the illicit cargo.

When traffic officers near Izera Ranch signalled him to stop, Angwech, in a foolhardy move, floored the accelerator and bolted towards Mombasa.

This reckless dash triggered an immediate response from the DCI and general duty officers, who sprang into action without missing a beat, setting off a high-octane chase.

After a heart-pounding pursuit, the vehicle was finally intercepted off-road. Under the watchful eyes of the officers, it was escorted back to Voi Police Station.

In the vehicle, 1,315 rolls and eight and a half sacks of Bhang, with an estimated street value of Sh7,135,500 were recovered.

Angwech now finds himself in a tight spot, detained at Voi Police station as the wheels of justice turn. Meanwhile, the confiscated narcotics and the Voxy are being held as exhibits.