Chaos unfolded at St. James ACK Church in Buruburu, Nairobi, when a 75-year-old widow, Margaret Watiti Ndungu, and her family staged a protest accusing a church elder of defrauding them of their land.
The elder, identified as Peter Kinuthia Waithunguri, allegedly used the family’s land title to secure a loan of Ksh 6 million after promising to help them clear a previous debt.
Margaret’s ordeal dates back to 2013 when she secured a Ksh 600,000 loan using her land in Ngong as collateral.
Facing challenges in repaying the loan, Kinuthia offered to assist on the condition that he hold onto the title deed, assuring her it would be returned once the debt was cleared.
However, Margaret later discovered that Kinuthia had listed himself as the official landowner and received compensation for the land when it was seized by the government for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project.
In a dramatic turn of events, police arrested Kinuthia on Sunday during the church service, detaining him at Buruburu Police Station before transferring him to Isinya, where he faces similar fraud allegations.
Margaret, who has endured a decade-long legal battle, won a court ruling in May 2023 declaring her the rightful owner of the land, but Kinuthia allegedly employed delaying tactics to evade enforcement.