NAIROBI, KENYA — A Nairobi magistrate has issued a warrant for the arrest of gospel musician Alex Apoko, widely known as Ringtone, after his failure to attend a scheduled court session.
Ringtone was expected to enter a plea to charges of fraud before senior principal magistrate Dolphina Alego but did not appear in court.
According to the charge sheet, he allegedly conspired with Alfred Juma Ayora to defraud Teresiah Adhiambo of a 0.1908-hectare (0.47-acre) parcel of land situated within Nairobi. The property, identified as Nairobi Block 99/142, is valued at Sh50 million.
Ringtone had reportedly sought to acquire the land through adverse possession, claiming residency on the Karen parcel for over two decades.
Mr. Ayora was present in court on March 28th when the state formally presented the charges against both individuals and entered a plea of not guilty.
However, Ringtone was absent during that initial hearing. The court subsequently directed his mandatory appearance on Monday, April 14th, to enter his plea before pre-trial proceedings were to commence. Again, Ringtone failed to appear.
A lawyer identifying himself as Mr. Karanja informed the court that Ringtone had fallen ill on Thursday, April 10th, receiving treatment and subsequent discharge from the Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The musician’s condition reportedly worsened on Sunday, April 13th, while in Nairobi, necessitating his admission to Trinity Care Centre in Ngong, according to his lawyer’s submission.
Mr. Karanja presented documents purportedly supporting these claims; however, the magistrate deemed them inauthentic. “How do we know that John Mathenge who has signed this document is a doctor?,” Magistrate Alego questioned.
The document from Trinity Care Centre was signed by a John Mathenge, who identified himself as the person in charge of the clinical department.
The court noted that the letter presented was not an original copy and that both medical documents from the hospitals in Nakuru and Ngong were inadmissible as evidence.
“There is nothing therefore that shows why he is not in court,” the magistrate stated.
Despite this, Mr. Karanja implored the court to defer the matter and grant his client time, even suggesting a virtual plea from his hospital bed “on human grounds, your honour,” a request that was ultimately denied.
“A warrant of arrest is issued for the second accused. The matter be mentioned on May 7, 2025,” Magistrate Alego ruled.
