Wife of man abducted, murdered in 2020 testifies as case finally begins

The long-awaited hearing of an abduction case involving the disappearance of two men from the Riruta area of Nairobi finally commenced at a Milimani court on Thursday, nearly four years and seven months after the incident.

Joshua Gichuki and Ben Maxwell Anyira were allegedly taken by the prime suspect, Dennis Ndubi Mauda, from their houses in Riruta in February 2020.

Tragically, Ben’s body was later discovered dumped in a river in Kabete, Kiambu County, while Joshua vanished without a trace.

During the Thursday hearing, Joshua's wife Christine Njoki was the first to testify, offering a blow by blow account of how the suspect took her husband, who has not been seen since.

When Njoki took the stand to testify in the abduction with intent to murder case involving her husband, the weight of four years of unresolved pain and grief was palpable.

“Alikuja wakati tulikuwa tunakaribia kukula akasema anataka bwanangu amsaidie kumpeleka bibi yake hospitalini,” she narrated.

The court heard that Joshua and the suspect had hurriedly left the house that night, picking up Ben along the way.

Dennis had reportedly asked for help from the two men to help him take his sick wife to hospital. It was the last time either of the two men were seen alive.

Ben’s body was discovered two days later at the city mortuary, while their vehicle, a silver Toyota Succeed, was found abandoned at an open carwash along Limuru road in Ruaka, near Rosslyn Riviera, with one door unlocked.

“Tukiendelea kuwatafuta ndio tuliambiwa kuna mwili ulipatikana city mortuary twende tuone…tukapata ni mtu hatumjui...baadaye tukaambiwa ni wa Ben ambaye alikuwa tenant kwetu kitambo,” Njoki continued.

Initial investigations led to the arrest of the suspect, but he was released under unclear circumstances; circumstances that Njoki believes were influenced by powerful individuals interfering with the case.

“Hakuna kile alifanyiwa Kabete…he is very connected…yeye alienda tu akikunywa yoghurt…untouchable,” Njoki said.

During cross-examination, a moment of tension unfolded when the defense lawyer asked Njoki if she could positively identify the suspect as the man who had taken her husband.

Njoki, visibly emotional, requested to approach the dock for a closer look at the accused.

The suspect, Dennis Ndubi Mauda, has been arrested multiple times in connection with the case. In July 2020, he was charged with Ben’s murder but was released on bond a month later.

He was rearrested in April this year and now faces charges of abduction with intent to murder.

Nine more witnesses are scheduled to testify in the abduction with intent to murder case, with the next hearing set for October 3, 2024.