A 75-year-old widow was charged on Monday, November 10, 2025, at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi with conspiracy to defraud businesswoman and politician Agnes Kagure Kariuki of a parcel of land in the city valued at Sh200 million. The accused, Ms. Ruth Wambui Kimani, appeared before Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi and pleaded not guilty to the two counts brought against her by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The prosecution alleges that on an unknown date, Ms. Kimani conspired with another person not before the court to defraud Ms. Kagure of her land parcel L.R. No 209/4843/10, which measures approximately 0.3252 hectares and is located along Jogoo Road, Nairobi County. In a second charge, Ms. Kimani is accused of forging a national identity card in the name of her late husband, Francis Kimani Muigai, presumably to facilitate the alleged fraudulent transaction.

Through her lawyer, Peter Mirie, Ms. Kimani countered the charges, asserting that the land in question rightfully belonged to her late husband and that she is the legal administrator of his estate. Mr. Mirie argued that his client was performing her legal duty to manage her late husband's property. He informed the court that the ownership of the disputed land is already the subject of a separate case pending before the Environment and Lands Court (ELC). In that case, Ms. Kimani is seeking to have the title deed issued to Ms. Kagure cancelled, claiming the property was irregularly sold in 2015 for Sh10 million without her knowledge. The ELC case is scheduled for hearing on November 19 and 20, 2025.

Pleading for lenient bail terms, Mr. Mirie stated that Ms. Kimani is not a flight risk and had been released on a police cash bail of Sh100,000 after her arrest the previous Friday.

A History of High-Stakes Land Disputes

This case brings Ms. Kagure, a notable figure in Nairobi's political and business circles who launched a gubernatorial bid in 2022, back into the public eye over land matters. She has been involved in other high-profile property disputes. In a separate, highly publicized case, a High Court ruling in June 2025 dismissed Ms. Kagure's claim to a Sh600 million estate in Karen formerly owned by the late British national, Roger Bryan Robson. In that case, Justice Hillary Chemitei found no credible evidence to support Ms. Kagure's claim that she had purchased the property in 2011 and upheld the deceased's will, which designated the property for donation to wildlife and forestry services.

Broader Implications for Land Justice in Kenya

The charges against Ms. Kimani underscore the persistent and complex challenges surrounding land ownership, inheritance, and fraud in Kenya. Land disputes are a significant driver of court cases in the country, often involving allegations of forged documents, disinheritance of rightful heirs, and collusion with corrupt officials. These cases frequently pit vulnerable individuals, such as widows and orphans, against powerful and well-connected figures.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has previously warned Nairobi residents about the rampant nature of land fraud, noting that undeveloped plots are often targeted by fraudsters using forged documents. In April 2025, the DCI arrested eight suspects, including officials from the Ministry of Lands, in connection with a land fraud scheme, highlighting the systemic nature of the problem. The current case involving a prominent politician and an elderly widow will be closely watched by the Kenyan public and land justice advocates as a test of the legal system's ability to adjudicate complex ownership claims fairly and transparently, particularly when significant power imbalances are at play.