Floods wreaking devastation as a Kitengela woman cries for rescue

A desperate plea for help from a woman in Kitengela during the early hours of the morning has brought attention to the escalating flooding crisis in the densely populated town of Kajiado county.

Wangari Gikonyo, a widow residing at Blessed Court along Balozi Road in Kitengela, reached out for assistance at 2:48 am on Wednesday.

“Oooh, my God. We are dying. Anyone in Kitengela please help. Floods,” Gikonyo tweeted.

“0719443532. Balozi road Kitengela. Blessed court,” she added in another tweet, sharing her contact details and location.

In subsequent tweets, she revealed the dire situation, stating that both her life and her children’s lives were at risk.

She also mentioned her recent loss of her husband and the challenges of rebuilding her life as a widow, only to be faced with the devastating floods.

“I have children in the house please help me. I want to leave with my children. I don’t need to rescue any of my property. You try to pick up your life afresh as a widow then floods strike,” she expressed.

As of approximately 7 am, Gikonyo confirmed she was still alive but urgently required emergency evacuation.

“Still waiting to be rescued,” she expressed, sharing a video of her flooded home.

The Kenya Red Cross (KRC) team acknowledged their communication with her and assured ongoing efforts to rescue her.

“We have been in touch with her. Our teams are on the ground doing the best they can. So far, three people have been rescued,” KRC reported in a tweet.

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Foreigners arrested with cocaine

A multi-agency team arrested four foreigners and one Kenyan in Kitengela for possession of cocaine.

The team, consisting of regular police officers and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), raided the suspects’ apartment in Beckvike Homes in the early hours of Wednesday, August 30, 2023.

The four foreigners were identified as Ali Abubakar, Mohammed Kassim, Saad Salim, and Rosse Paul Tito. The Kenyan suspect was named Nancy Munyota.

A search of the apartment revealed 143 pellets of cocaine stashed in empty packets of fruit juice. The detectives also recovered digital weighing machines, $245 USD, Ksh26,100, Tsh11,000, Indian Rupees, and mobile phones.

The locals in the area had raised concerns about the suspects’ activities, and the police were tipped off about their drug trafficking operation.

This is not the first time that the DCI has arrested suspects in connection with drug trafficking. In August 2023, the sleuths arrested a businesswoman known as Nancy Kigunzu, popularly known as “Mathe wa Ngara”, for her alleged involvement in a drugs haul in Ngara, Nairobi.

Kigunzu was denied bail and is currently being held at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) police post.

The arrests of the suspects in Kitengela and Kigunzu are a clear indication that the DCI is committed to cracking down on drug trafficking in Kenya.

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Ngong Pastor Sentenced to 50 Years in Jail for Defiling Minors

cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, was found guilty of two counts of defilement by Milimani principal magistrate Caroline Njagi.

The court heard that the pastor defiled the minors, who were aged 11 and 14 at the time, while using religious connotations and manipulations. The victims were congregants at the pastor’s church.

In her ruling, Njagi said that the evidence adduced in court proved the case against the pastor beyond reasonable doubt.

“In the circumstances, it is my finding that the prosecution evidence in this regard is watertight on counts 1 and 2 herein. I find that the two minors were truthful witnesses and their evidence was corroborated by medical evidence,” she said.

“I do find that the prosecution proved their case to the required standard as against the accused person herein on the charge of defilement in counts 1 and 2. The accused person is convicted as charged as per the provisions of Section 215 of the CPC.”

The pastor’s lawyer, however, argued that his client was mentally ill and should be admitted to a mental hospital. However, the court dismissed the argument, saying that the pastor was fit to stand trial.

The pastor will serve his sentence at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.

The International Criminal Justice Mission represented the victims in the case.