Woman in Ngala's house sale case fails to appear in court

By Evelyn Kwamboka

A woman charged along with former cabinet minister Noah Katana Ngala has failed to appear in court to take plea.

The court was on Monday told Ms Elizabeth Nyambura Gicheha, who was summoned in July in connection with the sale of the Nairobi Mayor’s residence, is ailing.

Chief Magistrate Gilbert Mutembei ordered the case be mentioned on September 3 for purposes of Gicheha taking plea.

The court also exempted Ngala and his wife, Ms Isabel Vicky Nzalambi from attending court on that day.

They are only expected in court on September 24 when the case against them will be heard.

Ngala and the wife are charged along with former Nairobi Mayor John Ndirangu Kariuki and an official in the office of the President, Mr Eustas Mwangi Mungai. They are out on Sh100, 000 cash bail.

They are charged with stealing, conspiracy to defraud, handling stolen property and uttering a false document charges.

Ngala, who pleaded not guilty before Principal Magistrate Grace Macharia recently, is alleged to have stolen the property’s title deed when he was the Lands minister.

He was charged that on unknown dates between February 1, 1993 and June 30, 2002 in Nairobi, with intent to defraud, she jointly with the other accused persons, conspired to defraud the City Council of Nairobi its Mayoral house by a false presentation that the property had been allotted and sold to him and subsequently effecting a transfer to his wife.

The second count stated that on unknown dates between April 25, 2000 and June 24, 2000, being a person employed in the Public Service as the Lands minister, he stole a transfer document dated December 30, 1954 for the Mayor’s residence.

The former MP is charged with uttering a false document to the then Roads and Housing PS Engineer Erastus Mwongera. The document showed his wife owned the property.

In the alternative, he is charged with retaining the property transfer document dated December 30, 1954.