A bitter family land dispute allegedly took a chilling turn when a woman told a Kenyan court that her own stepbrother and nephew conspired to have her killed, allegedly hiring men who claimed to be members of the outlawed Mungiki sect.
Miriam Wangui Ngachu gave the startling testimony in a case in which her stepbrother, Joseph Kiarie Ngachu, and Solomon Mwangi Maina are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
According to Miriam, the alleged plot unfolded between January 12 and January 22, 2021, with three men arriving at her compound and threatening to kill her.
But what began as an alleged murder plot became an extraordinary account of survival after the men reportedly spared her life.
Miriam told the court that one of the men was Simon, whom she identified as her sister's son. She alleged that Simon had sourced the men and helped bring them to her home after they met in Naivasha.
The men, she testified, remained at her home for four days while allegedly waiting for money from those who had commissioned the killing.
Then came an even more disturbing episode.
Miriam said the men poured chicken blood on her before receiving part of the alleged payment. She claimed the intended killers had been promised KSh1.5 million to eliminate her.
She further told the court that she personally witnessed KSh400,000 being received on January 20, 2021.
The witness alleged that her stepbrother, whom she said was based in Australia, financed the operation and maintained communication with the others involved.
At the centre of the alleged conspiracy was land.
Miriam told the court that the disputed property measures approximately 4.6 hectares and that Joseph was reportedly entitled to about one-and-a-half acres.
She alleged that her stepbrother had built a large house on the land and wanted her out of the way because of the long-running family succession dispute.
“He has built a big house on the land. He wanted to eliminate me because of the land,” she told the court.
The testimony paints a disturbing picture of how a dispute over family property can allegedly escalate from disagreement over inheritance to an alleged attempt on someone's life.
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Yet the alleged hitmen did not complete the mission.
Miriam said they eventually gave her KSh10,000 and left without killing her. In an extraordinary description of the ordeal, she even referred to the men as “very good people” because they had spared her life and shared some of the money they had reportedly received.
For Miriam, however, survival appears to have come with the realisation that the alleged threat had originated within her own family.
“I was ready to die, but God saved me. I was so happy they did not kill me. I have a lot to do,” she testified.
Her sister, Rehab Wanjiku, also appeared before the court and recounted the moment she learnt that Miriam was allegedly in danger.
Wanjiku said she received a distressing telephone call from Miriam on January 19, 2021. Miriam reportedly told her that several men had arrived at her compound, identified themselves as Mungiki members and claimed they had been sent to kill her.
Wanjiku said she advised her sister to report the matter to police and sent her KSh4,000.
The case exposes the potentially deadly intersection of family inheritance, land ownership and alleged criminal contracting—a combination that has repeatedly featured in serious disputes before Kenyan courts.
But the courtroom account remains a set of allegations tested through the judicial process.
Joseph Kiarie Ngachu and Solomon Mwangi Maina have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The prosecution must prove its case to the required legal standard, while the accused remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of law.
What makes the testimony particularly striking is not merely the alleged KSh1.5 million price placed on a human life, but the alleged motive: a family disagreement over land that, according to the witness, became serious enough for murder to be contemplated.
The court will ultimately have to separate testimony from proof, allegations from evidence, and family accusations from criminal responsibility.
For Miriam, however, the central fact remains stark: she walked into court alive to recount what she says was an attempt by people close to her to have her killed.
And at the heart of the case is a question that has haunted many Kenyan land and succession disputes: how far can a fight over family property go before it stops being a civil dispute and becomes a matter of life and death?
The strongest angle here is the land–inheritance–alleged contract killing connection, rather than simply repeating the KSh1.5 million allegation.
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