Woman who took Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho to court in dock for theft

By WILLIS OKETCH

MOMBASA; KENYA; The woman who took Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho to court over the validity of his degree from Kampala University is alleged to have stolen cement and timber worth Sh26,000 from a store she demolished.

This was revealed in a Mombasa Court recently. A security guard at Alba farm in Likoni, Jackson Laisen, told Mombasa  Resident Magistrate Irene Ruguru that Janet Ekubo Mbete in company of others went to a farm he was guarding and started demolishing a perimeter wall.

He told the court that during the destruction she pulled down iron sheets used in building the store and took 20 bags of cement and timber belonging to his boss all valued at Sh26,000.

Ms Mbete and Mwinyi Dao, who are out on a bond of Sh300,000 each have denied that on September 26, 2012 at Senti Kumi area in Likoni, Mombasa County, jointly with others not before the court they wilfully and maliciously damaged a perimeter wall worth Sh246,000, the property of  Shanzmeer Enterprises.

Another security guard, Musa Paul, said he recognised Mbete as one of the people who invaded the farm because she is his neighbour. The duo who were not represented denied a second charge stating that on the same day at the same time, with others not before the court, they stole 20 bags of cement and 330 feet timber valued at Sh26,000.

During the hearing Mbete was cautioned against bringing issues not related to the case while cross-examining a prosecution witness led by Chief Inspector Eunice Maingi.

While cross-examining a surveyor from Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Annah Nyaga, Mbete claimed the police and surveyors had been corrupted and would not speak the truth in court.

But the magistrate told her to concentrate on the issues, which will assist in her case instead of claiming that the surveyors and police had been corrupted.

In her testimony, Ms Nyagah told the court the road, which Mbete had claimed was an access to the beach does not exit in the map prepared by Mombasa Municipal Council.

Nyaga said even before coming to testify, she met Mbete at the provincial administration office in Likoni where the issue of the plot in question was being discussed. She told how during the discussion Mbete threatened to mobilise members of the public to demolish the perimeter wall on the farm.

“I even showed her the map of the plot, which clearly indicated that there was no access road in the centre of the plot as she claimed,” said Nyagah.

She told the court that after a long meeting with the district officers she left and later realised that the wall had been brought down.

Nyagah claimed that during the meeting at the DO’s office, Mbete claimed that she was a former area councillor and this was why she was fighting for the access road to the ocean.

The magistrate ordered the next hearing to take place on November 20.