- The Directorate of Criminal Investigations was ordered to amend the charge sheet and exclude Wangari.
- The key complainant Charles Gathii Ng'ang'a told court the case has dragged for too long since 2018 without being heard.
Image: FILE
An arrest warrant has been issued for the key suspect in a 2018 fake tender case involving the National Intelligence Service, State House, the Deputy President's Office and Americans.
Kiambu senior principal magistrate Manuela Kinyanjui on Tuesday ordered that Joy Wangari Kamau alias Mareka, who allegedly impersonated a public service employee, be arrested after she absconded two court hearings.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations was ordered to amend the charge sheet and exclude Wangari. In the current charge sheet she and three others are charged with 11 counts ranging from conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretenses, making a false document without authority, forgery, stealing, obtaining goods by false pretenses, uttering a false and personating a person employed in the public service.
The three other accused persons appeared in court. They are out on a Sh5 million cash bail each.
The key complainant Charles Gathii Ng'ang'a told court the case has dragged for too long since 2018 without being heard. Adjournments were made after Wangari feigning sickness and insanity, he said.
“I had to take an early discharge from Nairobi Hospital as I am recuperating from dislocation of the spinal cord so that I can testify. The matter is of 2018 and every time it is the accused Wangari who does not appear, hence prompting adjournment. I appeal to the court to allow the matter to proceed," Gathii said.
The accused are Eric Otieno alias Colonel Koech, Fredrick Mangala Muhanji alias Douglas Simiyu, Joy Wangari Kamau alias Patricia Mareka and James William Makokha alias Major George Nyapindi.
The four accused denied obtaining Sh40 million from Gathii by falsely pretending that they were in a position to award tender to supply military surveillance system complete with equipment and logistical support.
They also denied making a false document without authority purporting it to be a genuine valid tender document for the supply of security equipment for maritime surveillance for the State Department of Defence. They are also accused of forging a tender document signed by the alleged State House agent.
The accused denied stealing and obtaining 1,200 HP laptops all valued at Sh96 million belonging to Gathii in a false tender number STHSE/SUPLS/0451-404/2017-2018/SH which were to be supplied to State House.
Fredrick Mangala, James William and Joy Wangari denied that they personated a person working in the public service pretending to award Gathii a tender to supply HP laptops to State House.
In 2018 unsuspecting Kenyans lost millions of their hard earned money after they were lured into fake government tenders orchestrated through collusion of rogue government staff in the Office of Deputy President, State House and DoD.
The fake multi-million-shilling tenders reportedly came with complete documentations and targeted victims were invited for meetings inside these government offices to win their confidence.