Businesswoman Joyce Akinyi lost two high-end vehicles to the state on grounds that they were proceeds of crime.
The court ruled that the vehicles worth KSh 20 million were acquired through drug trafficking.
In her ruling, Lady Justice Esther Maina noted that Akinyi failed to explain the source of her wealth leading to conclusion that she acquired them through drug trafficking.
She has previously been arrested and prosecuted in the court of law for dealing in drug trafficking.
“She has not tendered any evidence to prove that the vehicles were acquired through clean money other than the proceeds of the illicit drug trade
“As a consequence, I am satisfied that the assets are proceeds of crime liable for forfeiture to the government,” Justice Maina ruled.
Akinyi pleaded with the court to release her two vehicles arguing that the seizure was subjecting her and her family to hardship.
She argued that she is a hardworking woman and there is no evidence linking the vehicles to illegal activities.
She told Justice James Wakiaga that Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) obtained the order freezing the cars and her accounts by hiding facts from the court.
“The orders have greatly prejudiced my business, family and personal affairs thus subjecting me to excessive financial hardship, distress and inconvenience because I have to seek alternative means of transport for myself and family,” she said.
Akinyi came to the limelight in 2010 following a fight with her estranged Nigerian husband Anthony Chinedu over ownership of the multi-million shillings Deep West Resort in Nairobi West.
