A woman has told a court how her stepbrother and nephew allegedly hired members of the outlawed Mungiki sect to kill her over a family land dispute, but the assailants spared her life and reportedly gave her Ksh 10,000 before leaving.
Miriam Wangui Ngachu testified that her stepbrother, Joseph Kiarie Ngachu, and Solomon Mwangi Maina allegedly conspired to murder her between January 12 and January 22, 2021, within Kenya.
While testifying in court, Miriam recounted how three men claiming to be Mungiki members arrived at her compound and threatened to kill her.
She identified one of the men as Simon, her sister’s son, whom she accused of sourcing the alleged hitmen and facilitating their visit to her home.
“That guy is called Simon. He is the son of my sister. He is the one who looked for the criminals. He used to receive money from Australia. They met with them in Naivasha and brought them to my house,” she told the court.
Miriam further testified that the men stayed at her home for four days as they waited for money from the alleged financiers.
She claimed that the men poured chicken blood on her and eventually gave her Ksh 10,000 after receiving part of the payment.
“They poured chicken blood on me. They stayed in my house for four days, waiting for money. Once they received the money, they gave me Ksh 10,000. They asked me to look for Mungiki elders, but I did not find them. We found them in Naivasha. Even the government knows they exist,” she testified.
Miriam alleged that the individuals hired to kill her had been promised Ksh 1.5 million, adding that she personally witnessed Ksh 400,000 being received on January 20, 2021.
She told the court that her step brother whom she alleged was based in Australia, financed the operation and regularly communicated with the others.
According to Miriam, her stepbrother, Joseph Kiarie, allegedly wanted her eliminated because of a long-running family land succession dispute.
“He has built a big house on the land. He wanted to eliminate me because of the land,” she told the court.
She explained that the disputed property measures approximately 4.6 hectares, with Joseph reportedly entitled to one and a half acres.
Miriam said she was shocked to discover that her own family members were allegedly involved in a plot to kill her.
“I was ready to die, but God saved me. I was so happy they did not kill me. I have a lot to do,” she testified.
In a striking account, she described the alleged assailants as “very good people” because they spared her life and shared some of the money they had reportedly received to carry out the killing.
Miriam’s sister, Rehab Wanjiku, also testified, recounting how she received a distressing phone call from her sister on January 19, 2021.
Wanjiku told the court that Miriam called to ask where she was before informing her that several men had arrived at her compound, identified themselves as Mungiki members and claimed they had been sent to kill her.
“I told her to go to the police and sent Ksh 4,000 to my sister,” Wanjiku testified.
The two accused, Joseph Kiarie Ngachu and Solomon Mwangi Maina, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder. The allegations were presented during court proceedings, and the accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
