Gospel musician Alex Apoko, popularly known as Ringtone, will spend the weekend in police custody after he was detained pending a ruling on his bond application on Monday.
Ringtone, who was arraigned on Thursday under a warrant of arrest after skipping several court appearances, was charged with defrauding a businesswoman of her parcel of land worth Sh50 million within Nairobi’s Karen area.
The charge sheet showed he conspired with Alfred Juma
Ayora on or before February 28, 2023, to defraud Teresiah Adhiambo of the land
measuring 0.1908 hectares (0.47 acres).
Ringtone wanted to take over the land by means of adverse possession, claiming he had lived on the parcel in Karen for over two decades.
Ayora, who had taken a plea on March 28, faced a second count of giving false information.
He was accused of appearing before persons authorised to administer an oath and falsely swearing an affidavit in a matter of public concern to the effect that he had resided on the disputed land for two decades.
He pleaded not guilty. The court then directed Ringtone to appear for plea-taking two weeks later.
Ringtone did not show up.
The court directed that he be present on Monday, April 14, to plead to the charges before pre-trial proceedings were to commence. Again, Ringtone failed to appear in court, leading to the issuance of a warrant of arrest against him.
His lawyer had said Ringtone fell ill on Thursday, April 10 and was treated and discharged at the Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The musician’s condition deteriorated on Sunday, April 13, in Nairobi, and he was rushed to Trinity Care Centre in Ngong, where he was admitted.
But the court rejected the claim with Milimani senior principal magistrate Dolphina Alego saying no documents had been presented in court to back up the claims.
“There is nothing, therefore, that shows why he is not in court,” the magistrate said before issuing a warrant of arrest.
Ringtone was then required to appear in court on May 7, when again, his lawyer said he was yet to recover. The arrest warrant remained in place.
On Thursday, when he was finally arraigned to plead to the charges, he denied the accusations levelled against him.
The prosecution asked the court to deny him bail, saying he was a flight risk, having absconded from court since March.
The accused, however, pleaded with the court to be released on bail, saying he was sick and needed medical attention.
The magistrate directed that he be remanded until May 19, when a pre-bail report will be produced in court.
