A Naivasha court has ordered the arrest and extradition of a Kenyan couple living in the United States (US) to face charges of allegedly conspiring to murder five members of their own family in a dispute linked to a valuable property in Molo.
Naivasha Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramathan issued warrants of arrest against Amos Wanjiru and his wife, Alice Muya, after finding that they had repeatedly failed to honour court summonses for nearly two years despite assurances from their lawyer that they would appear.
Wanjiru and Muya are jointly charged with her 73-year-old father, Francis Muya, who is already before the court facing five counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly plotted to eliminate Francis’ estranged wife, Rose Njeri Muya, as well as four of their children - Antony Mwaura, Martin Muya, Alex Muya and Oprah Muya.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ramathan described the allegations as grave and noted that the court had exercised patience in waiting for the couple to submit to its jurisdiction.
“The court gave the couple every opportunity to present themselves, but they failed, and I agree with the prosecution that this court should take decisive action and issue a warrant of arrest,” the magistrate ruled.
The court further authorised the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to initiate the process of working with US authorities to secure the couple’s extradition to Kenya.
Attempts by defence lawyer to have the arrest warrants suspended for 45 days were rejected. The magistrate advised the defence to seek any further remedies before the High Court.
The prosecution told the court that repeated promises by the defence to avail the two accused persons had not been fulfilled, resulting in prolonged delays in the case.
He noted that only Francis had so far been arraigned, with the matter stalling as the court awaited the appearance of the other suspects.
Court documents allege that the conspiracy was hatched between March and May 2024. Investigators claim that Francis and his daughter met two suspected hitmen at a hotel in Nakuru, where they allegedly agreed on a payment of Sh3.1 million for the killings.
The prosecution further alleges that funds intended for the plot were mobilised and delivered through Francis and Muya.
Investigators believe the alleged motive was to eliminate family members and gain control of a prime parcel of land in Molo town.
The case is scheduled for mention on July 28 as efforts to secure the attendance of the two US-based suspects continue.
Comments
Sign in with Google to comment, reply, and like comments.
Continue with Google