In courts: Hearing set to start in Musician Ringtone’s Sh50m land fraud case

The Milimani magistrate’s court in Nairobi is today expected to start hearing a case in which Gospel musician Alex Apoko, popularly known as Ringtone, is charged with defrauding a businesswoman of her parcel of land worth Sh50 million.

Ringtone, who pleaded not guilty to the charges in May, is accused of allegedly conspiring with Alfred Juma Ayora on or before February 28, 2023, to defraud Teresiah Adhiambo of the land measuring 0.1908 hectares (0.47 acres) in Nairobi’s Karen area.

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, the charge sheet shows.

Ayora faced a second count of giving false information to authorities. 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.

Hearing of the matter starts today before Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego.

Muchai's murder case

In the other criminal court, Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina will hear the final submissions in a robbery with violence case against suspects in the murder of former Kabete MP George Muchai.

Erick Muyera Isabwa and his six co-accused, Raphael Kimani, Mustapha Kimani, Stephen Astiva, Jane Wanjiru, Margaret Njeri, and Simon Wambugu, are facing different charges of robbery with violence before the chief magistrate’s court and murder charges in the High Court.

The robberies are alleged to have occurred hours before the accused persons allegedly killed Muchai, his driver and two bodyguards in the early hours of February 7, 2015, along Kenyatta Avenue.

Isabwa, the main suspect in both cases, has since denied the robbery with violence charges. The accused persons will make their submissions before the magistrate retires to write his judgment.