Wanted Mathe wa Ngara finally arrested

Piece by: CYRUS OMBATI

21 August 2023

• The arrest came hours after the suspect, Nancy Indoveria Kigunzu moved to court to stop her imminent arrest.

• She was arrested in Nairobi CBD over claims of drug trafficking.

A businesswoman linked to drug trafficking and possession was Monday arrested in a police operation in Nairobi.

The arrest came hours after the suspect, Nancy Indoveria Kigunzu moved to court to stop her imminent arrest.

Nancy who is popularly known as "Mathe Wa Ngara" over her alleged drug deals said in court investigative agencies have launched a major hunt to unfairly arrest and charge her on trumped-up charges.

She was arrested by detectives who were trailing her for hours and driven to the DCI headquarters for grilling ahead of the planned arrangement on Tuesday.

Detectives said she had been hiding since last Tuesday when police raided her den in Ngara.

When police raided a known drug den in the Kariowa slums Ngara area, Nairobi barely a week ago, they hoped to get her but ended up arresting a woman who has been described as a wrong suspect.

The place is popularly known as 'Kwa Mathe' (mum’s place) because of its popularity in terms of the supply of various narcotics and psychotropic substances.

Others call it 'Kwa Mathe wa Ngara'.

'Kwa Mathe wa Ngara' is a known place, and is searchable online, and unlike other spots called 'Kwa Mathe', especially in informal settlements, the Ngara 'Mathe' appears to have more power, controls a larger swathe of the population, have more widespread influence.

Five years ago, at the 'Kwa Mathe' slums, men were filmed busy rolling marijuana blunts and revealing that, even little school-going boys were her clients.

To the consumers and mules of the narcotics, the owner is a humble and caring woman who always understands their challenges.

A team of detectives from the Transitional Organised Crimes Unit backed by those from the Anti-Narcotics Unit and local ones had raided the den owned and run by 'Mathe wa Ngara' but they did not find her.

And after police went public about the arrests and recoveries, those who know the woman swamped social media saying the real “Mathe” had not been arrested.

And true to the public’s concerns, police revealed they were still looking for the 46-year-old woman.