Joy Wangari Kamau alias Patricia Mareka at the Milimani Law Court on October 18, 2019 during the mention of her case.
Nothing about Ms Joy Wangari Kamau stands out at first glance. On the street, she blends easily into the crowd.
But a search of her name tells a different story.
For nearly a decade, Ms Wangari—also known as Patricia Mareka and Ms Muhoro—has moved in and out of courtrooms, facing a string of fraud-related charges.
Across multiple cases, investigators and court records point to a recurring pattern: multimillion-shilling deals, forged documents, and elaborate schemes built around fake government tenders.
In many instances, victims were lured with promises of lucrative supply contracts purportedly linked to powerful State offices.
Some of the alleged schemes were even said to have been orchestrated from within or around high-profile government offices, including the Office of the President.
In total, Ms Wangari has faced at least six cases in courts in Nairobi and Kiambu, all tied to alleged fraudulent supply deals involving government ministries and agencies. The cases often feature politically connected figures and revolve around fake procurement processes linked to institutions such as State House.
The alleged scams span a wide range of sectors, from the supply of laptops to government ministries to military equipment for the Department of Defence. Victims include both Kenyan businesspeople and foreign nationals.
Over the years, Ma Wangari has faced charges including conspiracy to defraud, stealing, forgery, making false documents without authority, and impersonating a public servant.
According to police reports, the schemes were carefully choreographed. Investigators say victims were drawn in through convincing but fraudulent tender documents. In some cases, suspects allegedly travelled outside the country to destinations such as the United Kingdom to negotiate the deals.
Military officers
Police further claim that Ms Wangari used multiple aliases to conceal her identity, posing as a project manager or procurement officer attached to State House or Harambee House Annex. She is also accused of leading accomplices who allegedly posed as intelligence and military officers to reinforce the illusion of legitimacy.
A review of files at the Milimani Law Courts shows that two of the cases against her have been concluded and closed, while four remain active. One criminal file dating back to 2018 cannot be traced, according to court registry officials.
Among the high-profile cases is an alleged Sh180 million laptop supply scam involving Ms Wangari, several co-accused, and a senator, whose charges were later withdrawn “after a partial refund was made to the complainant, Makindu Motors Limited”.
In another case, she is accused of involvement in a Sh136 million tender for military surveillance equipment, where she allegedly posed as a State House official and presented forged documents purportedly signed by senior officers in the armed forces.
More recently, Ms Wangari was charged in connection with a Sh60 million laptop supply deal allegedly linked to the United Nations Office for Project Services.
This month, she faced fresh charges of defrauding an electronics dealer of $398,000 (about Sh60 million), claiming she could secure a government tender for the supply of laptops and accessories.
Joy Wangari Kamau alias Patricia Mareka at the Milimani Law Court on October 18, 2019 during the mention of her case.
She denied three counts, including conspiracy to defraud businessman Vija Virma and forging procurement documents tied to the Ministry of Information, Communication and Digital Economy.
The court heard that the alleged offences occurred between September 4 and December 30, 2023, during which she is accused of obtaining the money by falsely claiming she could facilitate the tender.
Prosecutors say she presented a tender reference—MICT/VOL.1/VACC/2023—to convince the complainant to release the funds.
Ms Wangari also faces charges of attempting to defraud another electronics firm by presenting a forged request for quotation bearing the same tender reference number, allegedly made to appear as an official document from the ministry.
She was released on bond after telling the court she is a single mother and is not a flight risk. The trial is scheduled for June 7, 2026. She was granted a Sh2 million bond with a surety of a similar amount, or an alternative cash bail of Sh1 million.
Ms Wangari’s history with bail, however, has been contested before. In 2019, prosecutors opposed her release, arguing she was a flight risk after she absconded court proceedings. She was later arrested while attending another fraud case in Kiambu and was remanded at Lang’ata Prison.
In the Sh180 million laptop tender case, the court was told the deal was orchestrated at Harambee House Annex.
Evidence presented showed that businessman Musyoki Ngei paid for 2,800 laptops, believing the order had been requisitioned by then Deputy President William Ruto.
Testimony from key witness Mr Solomon Muema David indicated that a contract was signed between Nduso Investment Limited and what was presented as the Office of the Deputy President.
Mr Muema told the court that he, together with Charles Kamolo, signed on behalf of Makindu Motors Limited, while two individuals, identified as Ms Muhoro and Mr James William Makokha alias Wanyonyi, signed on behalf of the Deputy President’s office. Following the agreement, Muema testified, the full consignment of laptops was delivered.
He identified the individuals who allegedly posed as representatives of the Deputy President’s office as Ms Muhoro, Mr Wanyonyi, and a third figure known as Mr Kiptoo, the alleged point man in the operation.
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