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A former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner has filed a lawsuit to recover more than Sh6 million she paid to a self-proclaimed herbalist in Western Kenya,
who allegedly promised spiritual intervention to help her secure a lucrative job. The strange and sorrowful journey began with an innocuous Sh3,000 consultation fee early in 2024. Margaret
Wanjala Mwachanya, who at one point served as a deputy ambassador of Kenya to Pakistan, on Wednesday narrated to a stunned Vihiga court how the multi-million-shilling deception began shortly
after she responded to a persistent online advertisement that repeatedly flashed on her phone. “The ad kept appearing. It mentioned something about job opportunities. So I called the
number,” she testified in court. That single call led her to purchase a Sh12,500 dose of herbal medicine. But what began as a modest transaction soon unravelled into a costly series of
rituals wrapped in mysticism and manipulation. “The doctor sent one of his aides with the medicine. A week later, he called and asked my age. When I told him I was 53, he said I should add
four zeros to it and withdraw Sh530,000 for a ritual,” Ms Mwachanya recalled. She handed the cash to a man introduced as the herbalist’s son in a major city. The money was wrapped in cloth
and sealed in a container. She was instructed to pray over it for 21 days. But when she opened it at home, the money had vanished. “I called the doctor in shock. He told me the money was
safe,” she said. SENT MORE MONEY Before the 21 days elapsed, she was contacted again and asked for another Sh380,000 for a second ritual. This time, the container used in the rite was thrown
into a river. Later, the herbalist summoned her to a dimly lit shop in Western Kenya, under odd and unsettling conditions. “I never saw his face. He spoke from behind a curtain, surrounded
by candles. When I said I only had Sh1,000, he told me to place it in a wooden box,” Ms Mwachanya told the pensive court. After a string of incantations, an aide lifted the box over her
head. When it was opened, it appeared to contain bundles of cash. “I was stunned. There were thousands of shillings inside. They told me this was money I had lost since birth — Sh18.3
million. But to unlock it, I had to add Sh1.8 million,” Ms Mwachanya explained. She complied again, withdrawing the sum from her bank account and placing it in the same box. Once more, she
was ordered not to open it for 21 days. But before the waiting period elapsed, the so-called doctor contacted her with yet another revelation. Over the phone, he introduced her to two
“elders.” “The elders said they’d never encountered anyone like me. They called me a 'woman of iron' and claimed my money had grown to Sh48 million,” she said. To access the
purported fortune, she was told to send an additional Sh3.33 million. Soon after, she was informed the 21-day period could be shortened if she sent Sh75,000 to a handler traveling to
Tanzania to appease the spirits. She complied once again. “I was later told the handler had returned and I was invited to the final ritual,” Ms Mwachanya testified. FINALE For the finale,
she was told to toss the wooden box — her supposed treasure — into a bonfire. She obeyed, believing the promised wealth would soon arrive. “Afterwards, they said the money would be wired to
my bank. But when I insisted on waiting to confirm, I was threatened. The doctor told me to run for my life,” she narrated. Now, after losing over Sh6 million in what she describes as a
calculated spiritual scam, the former ambassador is turning to the courts for justice. Hearing of the case continues on July 7, 2025.