Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Monica Kagia and Reuben Mwambingu 

Embattled Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa has been summoned to appear before the High Court in Mombasa on Monday to answer to murder charges. 

Justice Njoki Mwangi’s order comes a day after the Director of Public Prosecutions approved murder and assault charges against her.

Since the pronouncement by the DPP on Wednesday, Jumwa seems to have gone quiet.

For the better part of yesterday, her phone went unanswered and persistent calls to her number were often responded to by “Line Busy” or automated replies indicating that she was in a “meeting”.

And to those who were lucky to have phone calls answered, Jumwa said she had accompanied the Deputy President William Ruto in a tour of Nyamira.

But her supporters read political witch-hunt by her rivals, saying there was a choreographed move to dim her “rising  star” that has been bolstered by her ambitions to replace Governor Amason Kingi of Kilifi in 2022.

“History has taught us that every promising political leader from Coast with serious ambitions, is always frustrated by government agents.

We saw it in Mohammed Ali of Nyali, we saw the same in Hassan Joho and even Kingi,” said Moses Matano; a member of Jumwa’s 2022 campaign committee.

According to Matano, the recent development were closely tied to Msambweni by election, as Jumwa was expected to lead campaigns for Feiswal Abdalla Bader; an independent candidate who is being backed by  Ruto.

Jumwa and her body guard are accused of being involved in the murder of Ngumbao Jola who was shot dead during Ganda ward in Malindi constituency by elections in 2019.

They were arrested for the murder in October last year but were never charged as the court released them for lack of factual evidence at the time she was brought to court.

Late last year, the prosecution had asked the court to detain Jumwa and her co-accused, for 21 days pending investigations.