Police have been allowed to hold a businesswoman linked to drug trafficking and possession of 'cookies and sweets' for five more days pending investigations.
JKIA court senior principal magistrate Njeri Thuku on Wednesday ruled that the application by the prosecution which sought to detain Nancy Endoveria Kigunzu for five days was merited.
"Having gone through the submissions by both parties, I find that the prosecution application to detain the respondent is merited. The suspect is to be detained at Muthaiga Police Station for five days to allow police to complete their investigations", the magistrate ruled.
The Court also directed that Endoveria be escorted to the hospital for medication after her lawyer said she had been denied access to her medication.
The case will be mentioned on August 28 for further orders.
Endoveria who is popularly known as "Mathe Wa Ngara" over her alleged drug deals, was arrested by police on August 21, 2023, at around 1530 hrs in the CBD.
An application filed in court by Sergeant Stephen Chesire seeking to detain Kigunzu indicates that during the time of operations which led to the arrest of three other suspects, she fled from police arrest.
Chesire said weighing and sampling of the alleged drugs was done in her absentia.
"The sweets and cookies which were seized from the respondent premises couldn't undergo preliminary laboratory test hence no report which will give further directions on this case on the charges to be preferred," the officer says in the affidavit.
Chesire further told the court that he intends to conduct further interrogations which might lead to further arrests of Kigunzu's accomplices.
"It is for this reason that I request the respondent to be held for five days to enable the investigating officer to complete his investigations," he said.
The Court was also told that the suspect is a flight risk and if released before the investigations are complete, there is the likelihood that she will interfere with the investigations and compilation of evidence.
The Court was urged that it is in the interest of justice and within the discretion of the Court to consider granting the orders sought.
Kigunzu was arrested by police on Tuesday in the Nairobi CBD.
Police said an earlier search was conducted on her rented house and several sacks were recovered therein with a green dry substance suspected to be narcotics found.
Also recovered, were cakes and sweets suspected to have been made using narcotics.
"A total of Sh13,443,110 was recovered therein which is believed to be proceeds of crime and the investigating officer ought to verify the case of money laundering on the respondents and charge them accordingly, Chesire added.
He said Kigunzu is a serial offender and she had been earlier arrested for trafficking in narcotic drugs where she entered into a plea agreement vide Case no E092/2022 at Kahawa Law courts where together with three others were fined.
However, defence lawyers led by Danstan Omari, Cliff Ombetta, and Sam Nyaberi among others opposed her detention.
They said the suspect was arrested due to media pressing as she is not a suspect in the alleged offences
"She is facing the wrath of a public campaign as she was not supposed to be arrested. She was arrested outside my office at around 4 pm. As I was in court. It is not true that she is a flight risk," Omari told the court.
Omari further told the court that the suspect had filed an anticipatory application before the High Court and when they served the DCI, the application jolted the officers leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Ombeta also urged the court to release their client on bail saying she is ready to deposit her travel documents in court hence she is not a flight risk.
The Court also heard that Endoveria is a single mother with two children.
Her two children were also arrested during the raid.