Gospel singer Alex Apoko aka Ringtone claims that he was illegally kicked out of his Karen home by powerful foreign nationals who used the police to evict him.
Speaking to vloggers after his release, Ringtone said he was arrested when he responded to distress calls from his staff who clashed with the ‘invaders’.
“Wale watu ambao walipanga walicreate narrative waseme Ringtone amevamia kwa boma ya wenyewe,” Ringtone said.
The singer lamented that he did not feel like he was a Kenyan when foreigners can come into the country and kick him out of his property.
“Watu wamecreate perception ni kama mi ni mgaidi na mi ndo nimedhulumiwa. Mimi ni mtoto wa Kenya niko kwetu kwa nchi yangu, watu wametoka nje ya nchi wamekuja wakatumia pesa Kenya kuninyanyasha,” he said.
“Nimetoka ndani kama nimetishwa, mimi ni Mkenya nko Kenya kwetu. Nimefanyiwa madhambi,” he added while weeping.
Ringtone bitterly grumbled about being kicked out of the Karen home and later charged with malicious damage of property.
“Nimetolewa kwa nyumba Karen mahali nimekua zaidi ya miaka kumi. Nimestakiwa nimevunja mali yangu ati nimefanya malicious damage ya mali yangu mali yangu nimenunua na pesa yangu. Sijioni kama Mkenya.”
Land grabbing
Asked if his current tribulation has anything to do with land-grabbing claims that have dogged him for years, Ringtone insisted that he had never illegally or fraudulently acquired any property.
“Watu wanapenda kuonea watu. Hii nchi iko na maaskari, hii nchi iko na CID, hii nchi iko na court. Hakuna mtu ameenda amesema nimechukua kitu yake. Si ni watu tu wako na wivu wanajiuliza wewe ni yatima, baba yako ni nani? Yani watu wanaona kama huna baba mwenye anajulikana haufai kuwa na kitu,” he said.
“Vitu zote ambavyo niko nazo kwa maisha yangu nimezipata halali, nimezipata kupitia jasho yangu. Nimezipata kupitia maombi, nimezipata kutoka baraka za Mungu. Mimi siwezi iba kitu ya mtu. Mi najua Mungu siwezi iba kitu ya mtu. Mtu atokee aseme nimeiba kitu yake,” he added.
He claimed that rumours about him being a land grabber were concocted by his enemies.
“Rumours zinatoka kwa watu ambao wanakuchukia anataka tu kusema meneno. Alafu hii town ya Kenya watu wakitaka kukupangia anakupangia. Wanakupangia ta unaweza ekewa madawa, unawezaekewa mabunduki. Ukipangiwa umepangiwa,” he said.
“Do you have the right documents that prove that you are the owner?” YouTuber Mungai Eve asked Ringtone.
He claimed to have the right documents but didn’t want to talk much about that.
“Mimi nko na stakabali za kuniruhusu kukaa ndani ya nyumba. Nko na stakabali za kuniruhusu kuishi ndani ya nyumba, hivyo ntasema kufikia hapo fullstop,” Ringtone said.
Land grabbing scandals
Ringtone has been caught up in multiple land-grabbing scandals – especially involving property in Runda and Karen.
The singer has been accused by many people of using the Ardhi House mafia to fleece ageing citizens of land through corrupt deals.
In 2016, Ringtone made headlines in Kenya and UK when he was accused of grabbing a 5.2-acre parcel of land along Ushirika Road in Karen, Nairobi.
In the case of the five-acre parcel which Ringtone claims to own, the land belonged to Rogers Bryan Robson – a second-generation British settler who died without a family.
Robson’s will, which was drawn up in 1997, clearly stated that his Karen property and a half-acre plot with flats next to the Nairobi Hospital in Upper Hill, be sold and the proceeds shared between his nephew and several charitable organizations upon his death.
The executor, lawyer Guy Elms, wanted to pass the Ksh500 million estate to the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forestry Service, but since Robson’s death, the Karen property has been occupied multiple times by invaders, including Ringtone.
Robson’s brother wrote to the Kenyan government and the British Foreign Office to complain about Ringtone grabbing the dead man’s Ksh500 million estate.
In a weak justification of how he came to own Karen property, Ringtone while speaking to Jalang’o (while the Lang’ata MP was still a radio presenter) claimed that the late Rogers Bryan Robson gifted him his property.
“I’m not part of a cartel. I’m a gospel artist and all I own are gifts given to me by my fans. Rodger was a fan of my music. I’m not a land-grabber,” Ringtone said.
Roger Bryan Robson died on August 8, 2012, at the age of 71.
Runda property
Robson’s Karen property aside, Ringtone has also been accused of grabbing his Runda home where he currently stays.
AGN Kamau Advocates issued a notice to Ringtone to vacate the Runda property within 10 days in a letter dated September 28, 2021.
According to documents, the Runda home which is situated on parcel number L.R. 7785/94 previously belonged to Mona Ingegard Bjorklund – a Swedish national who died on July 5, 2007.
The property measuring 0.537200 hectares has been in Bjorklund’s name since May 28, 1979, according to the Lands Registrar.
Daniel Carling, the administrator of Bjorklund’s properties, filed a case in court seeking to repossess the property from Ringtone.
In court documents, the administrator accused Ringtone of trespassing upon the multimillion-shilling Runda property.
“The provisions of the Law of Succession Act mandatorily requires the administrator of the said estate to collect all the assets thereto and thereafter deal with the same in accordance with the said provisions. It is well within the knowledge of the said administrator and your good self that at all material times you wrongfully, unlawfully and without any colour of right whatsoever trespassed upon the estate’s property designate L.R. 7785/94 IS NO. 33637 You continue with such trespass to date Our instructions are to give you notice which we do hereby do requiring you to cease with your acts of trespass forthwith and to hand over the said property to our client through us within 10 days from the date hereof,” the letter read in part.
Ringtone had earlier claimed that the Swedish national left him the Ksh500 million Runda property but later stated that he bought it.
The controversial singer quickly moved to court to fight the eviction notice.
On October 4, 2021, Twitter bigwig Abraham Mutai called on DCI to arrest Ringtone, lamenting that many families in Karen were suffering because the singer was grabbing their land.
“The @DCI_Kenya has to STOP this crook called Ringtone. Families are suffering in Karen. They just show up at a property, fence it or grab it in cahoots with highly placed officials at City hall. Families are crying. @DCI_Kenya Kindly, you must come to the rescue of these families,” Mutai tweeted.
