Court hands street preacher one-year probation
Jemimah Wangari Waruingi in court on June 26, 2018. PHOTO | RICHARD MUNGUTI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A street preacher has been handed a one-year probation for causing disturbance in an attempt to seek audience with Interior Cabinet secretary, Dr Fred Matiang’i.
Ms Jemimah Wangari Waruingi, 51, told Senior Principal Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot that she wanted the “tough and no-nonsense Cabinet secretary” to intervene in a family dispute over land in Nakuru County.
“Your Honour, I camped for three days outside Harambee House to seek an audience with Mr Matiang’i over my late father’s land which was transferred from this Milimani High Court to Nakuru where it has stalled,” Ms Waruingi said.
Wielding a Bible and dressed in a red rob, Ms Waruingu said she wanted Mr Matiang’i to accompany her to the office of the Chief Justice David Maraga to plead for a speedy determination of the land case.
“[My children and I] are languishing in poverty yet we have a large parcel of land which I can’t utilise because of a pending succession cause at the Nakuru High Court,” the preacher explained.
“Do you have any document to prove that there is a pending case?” Mr Cheruiyot asked her.
“Yes, a faithful in my church, Mr Reuben Ogechi, who has accompanied me to follow these proceedings has a court order with him,” she answered.
Ms Waruingi then beckoned Mr Ogechi who handed the order to the magistrate who upon checking it summoned two probation officers, Ms Jenevive Akinyi and Mr Peter Macharia to interview her and call Nakuru Law Courts.
Ms Waruingi had earlier told the magistrate that she had been camping at the Office of the President together with her children who were detained with her.
“I left my children at the Central Police Station and I do not know whether they were taken. Release me to go and look for them,” Ms Waruingi pleaded.
In their report, Ms Akinyi and Mr Macharia, said the preacher suffered mental trauma because of the land dispute.
Mr Macharia said the probation office will offer her legal assistance to resolve the land case in which she is seeking to be appointed the administrator.
