A businesswoman accused of plotting to kill her business rival was charged in court on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit murder. Rosemary Mutheu Muathe appeared before Milimani Principal Magistrate Godfrey Onsarigo, where she denied the charges.
Muathe is alleged to have conspired with her friend, Wilfred Wandia Kisau, to arrange the murder of city businessman Antony Maina Mutahi. The prosecution claims that between July 1 and August 1, 2024, the two planned to hire a hitman for Sh1 million, with a promise of an additional Sh20 million once the job was completed.
Muathe, who denied the charges, was released on a Sh500,000 cash bail or a bond of Sh1 million. The case is set for mention on October 7, 2024.
According to the police, Muathe and Wandia, who had already been charged in a separate case, devised a plan to have Maina killed. Investigators claim that Wandia introduced Muathe to the hitman, identified as Marvin Omondi Abisalom, and that the trio held multiple meetings both in Nairobi and in the outskirts of the city to discuss their plan.
Police allege that the motive behind the plot stemmed from an ongoing legal battle over a property Muathe had leased to Maina. This dispute, authorities claim, drove Muathe to conspire with Wandia to eliminate her business rival.
Wandia and Muathe allegedly agreed to pay Abisalom Sh1 million to carry out the murder, with an additional Sh20 million promised to Wandia as a reward for facilitating the crime.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Abisalom decided to warn Maina of the murder plot. On July 28, 2024, he approached Maina and disclosed the plan during a meeting at Nairobi Central Police Station. Abisalom revealed the details to the police, leading to the arrests of Wandia and Muathe.
During the investigation, police discovered that Wandia had attempted to cover her tracks by uninstalling her WhatsApp application in an effort to erase evidence. However, detectives were able to seize her phone, which was later submitted for cyber forensic analysis to retrieve the deleted messages.
The case is ongoing as police continue to gather more evidence surrounding the conspiracy.
