A Nairobi Member of County Assembly (MCA) has been charged before the Makadara Law Courts alongside two co-accused over a series of alleged violent robberies and destruction of property linked to a disputed business premises in Donholm.
The MCA, Aaron Kang'ara Wangare, popularly known as "Rooney", represents Viwandani Ward in Makadara Sub-County.
He appeared before Principal Magistrate Juliana Ndeng'eri alongside Zablon Kirima Mwangi and Kepha Muiyoro Wanjiru, where they denied four charges of robbery with violence, theft and malicious property damage.
According to the prosecution, the three, acting together with others who are still at large, stormed the business premises on June 26, 2026, and ordered workers, including public toilet attendants, to shut down their operations.
The prosecution alleges that when Moses Ochieng' Okumu questioned their actions, the group robbed him of a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold phone valued at Sh84,000, a 450-gram silver chain worth Sh44,000 and Sh34,000 in cash, bringing the total value of the stolen items to about Sh170,000.
The accused are also alleged to have robbed Ian Ndirangu Muturi of an Infinix mobile phone worth Sh20,000 and Samuel Njihia Mwaniki of a mobile phone valued at Sh40,000.
In a separate incident, they are accused of breaking into the shop of Josephat Kibwana Mukamba and stealing assorted motorcycle spare parts worth Sh62,523, as well as a motorcycle valued at Sh120,000.
Court documents further state that two days later, the trio, armed with metal rods and machetes, allegedly returned to the business premises managed by James Kuria Mwaniki, assaulted the occupants and demanded to know his whereabouts.
During the incident, they allegedly destroyed two water tanks valued at Sh165,000 and stole a desktop CPU tower, a Samsung TV monitor, a DVR recorder and CCTV cables. They are also accused of maliciously damaging and stealing outdoor CCTV cameras and a water pump valued at Sh104,568.
The prosecution told the court that the conflict appeared to stem from a dispute over the business premises, which housed a public toilet, car wash, auto spare parts shop and herbal clinic managed by Mwaniki.
Defence lawyer Macharia Kenneth urged the court to admit the accused to bond on reasonable terms, arguing that the charges alone should not be used to punish them before trial.
"A person should not be punished by the sheer strength of the charge sheet. We pray that the accused be granted reasonable terms, as they have been counselled on the importance of attending court and all reside within the court's jurisdiction," Macharia submitted.
He told the court that Kirima is a Nairobi County official appointed by the Governor, Wanjiru is Rooney's personal assistant, while the MCA is a family man with four children, making them unlikely to abscond.
State Counsel Edsan Papai did not oppose their release but urged the court to impose strict conditions.
"Provided the accused maintain peace and refrain from contacting the victims directly or through agents. Any breach would lead to the cancellation of the bond," Papai said.
In allowing the application, Principal Magistrate Juliana Ndeng'eri ruled that the prosecution had failed to demonstrate compelling reasons to deny the three bond.
"The accused persons shall not intimidate, influence, threaten or coerce the victims, nor shall they visit the premises," the magistrate directed.
The court released each accused on a Sh1 million bond or an alternative cash bail of Sh500,000 and scheduled the case for hearing on December 16, 2026.
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