NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 18 – The High Court has issued orders barring security agencies from arresting businessman Jimi Wanjigi and his wife Nzisa over a forgery probe pending the hearing of a petition filed before the court.
In the petition certified as urgent, Justice Anthony Mrima gave orders restraining the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai and Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji from arresting or preferring any criminal charges against the couple.
“That pending the inter parties hearing of the notice of motion, a conservatory order be and is hereby issued restraining the 1st and 2nd respondent from instituting, arresting ,preferring, registering and or continuing criminal charges against any off the petitioners in reference to the parcel of land,” read the High Court order issued on Tuesday.
The court allowed the applicants to serve Mutyambai, Haji and Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti who were listed as respondents with the petition, notice of motion and the court order within 3 days.
The court slated the matter for hearing on February 9.
The Magistrate Court had issued an arrest warrant against Wanjigi his wife Irene Nzisa and six others for forgery of a title deed for a land on which Wanjigi’s firm Kwacha Group sits.
The suspects are accused of forging the title deed between April 9th, 2010 and June 5th, 2018 at unknown place in the Republic of Kenya.
The businessman is said to have conspired to forge a title deed for land registered as IR 65800 LR.NO.1870/11/200 deed plan No.175145 dated July 20, 1993, for a land registered in the name of Horizon Hills Limited.
Wanjigi is said to have committed the offence alongside Himanshu Velji Dodhia alias Himanshu Velji, Premchard Dodhia, Kameez Noorani, Mohammed Hussein Noorani , Mohamed Hussanali, Kairu Augustine Thuo and John Nyanjua Njeru.
The orders emerged after heavily armed policemen raided Jimi Wanjigi’s Kwacha office in Nairobi’s Westlands, on Monday night.
Speaking to Capital FM News on phone, Wanjigi who is also an Orange Democratic Movement presidential aspirant stated that heavily armed officers demanded that he accompany them to record a statement but were not willing to disclose what it was about.
“I don’t want to speculate or guess but your guess is as good as mine. I do not know why they raided my offices, and my lawyers also are not aware of anything,” he stated.
“Remember, it was 9.30pm and these were people who had covered themselves up from head to toe.”
Police on Tuesday morning lobbed teargas to disperse his supporters who were protesting the raid at his office.
The supporters who demanded to be given access to the office were later forced to disperse.
The detectives conducted a search in the offices but there were no immediate reports of arrests.
Wanjigi has been at the centre of a land tussle after two businessmen claimed ownership of a one-acre piece of land on General Mathenge Road in Westlands.
Most recently he thrust into the limelight after obtaining a court order to have the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti sentenced for failing to honour a court order to return guns confiscated from Wanjigi’s residence in Muthaiga in the leadup to the 2017 General Election.