There was drama as Kiambu County Finance Chief Officer Faith Njeri and her driver Harrison Kung’u were last week arrested for allegedly being in possession of fake US dollars worth Ksh67,000.
But according to Kiambu County governor Ferdinand Waititu, the arrests were politically motivated adding that the detectives included unfounded accusations on the suspects charge sheet.
In fact, he noted, it is not a crime for a woman to have money in her car.
Speaking in Juja over the weekend, Waititu aka Baba Yao further noted that his detractors have been using the fight against corruption to mud sling his reputation.
Ms Njeri and her driver are said to have been arrested by detectives from the special crime unit at Parklands on Mpaka Road while driving a double cabin car with GK as opposed to having county number plates.
The two were later charged at Kibera Law Courts and consequently booked at Capitol Hill Police Station.
According to a police report seen by Nation, the two were arrested for being found in possession of 670 papers “upon which words and figures letters and lines printed as 100 denominations of dollars of United States of America.”
Ms Njeri was also charged for having with “her an article for use in the course of or connection with cheating namely fake dollars.”
Her driver was charged with driving a county car which had unprescribed number plates.
In her record, the Kiambu County official stated that she saw a group of armed people who ordered them to stop near MP Shah Hospital and bundled them in two different cars.
She was later escorted in a convoy of about four cars to the Nairobi Area Traffic Police headquarters and later to special crime unit offices where a search was conducted.
According to the detectives, 670 fake US dollars were found on the car seat and Ksh50,000 in Njeri’s handbag.
However, Njeri defended herself saying that she had nothing about the dollars but acknowledged having the Ksh50,000.
The two denied the charges and Ms Njeri was freed on a bond of Ksh1 million with a surety of a similar amount or cash bail of Ksh200, 000.
The court is yet to set a date for the hearing of the matter.
