EACC Pursues Recovery of Ksh 10 Billion Seized Properties in Mombasa
Mombasa has been singled out by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as one of the counties in Kenya with the most severe land-grabbing cases.
On Tuesday, the commission announced that it is pursuing more than 130 legal cases to recover approximately Ksh.10 billion value of confiscated public property in the coastal region.
As per the CEO of the commission, Twalib Mbarak, numerous properties in Mombasa have been effectively retrieved thus far via litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Notable among these is the Hobley Estate, situated in the Buxton area, which is under the ownership of the Ministry of Housing and is adjacent to the Affordable Housing Project in Mombasa.
Presently accommodating county government employees, the property is valued at Ksh. 500 million.
A total of one government house, which is owned by the Ministry of Housing, is one of six houses belonging to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) in the Nyali/Bamburi Estate. The cumulative value of these houses is Ksh.420 million.
The Coast Water Works Development Agency filed a complaint with the EACC on September 9, 2021, alleging that private entities had unlawfully acquired public land under the agency’s ownership in collusion with public officials.
Anti-corruption authorities determined that the properties had been appropriated and titles had been issued to a variety of private individuals and corporations. A portion of the benefactors divested the land to third parties, who then levied exorbitant fees against the land in financial institutions.
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The unauthorized distribution resulted in the formation of three parcels that accumulated a market value of Ksh. 365,000,000.
As of now, EACC has initiated three recovery lawsuits in the Environment and Land Court of Mombasa, to obtain the revocation of titles held by private individuals.
As the litigation persists, the court has subsequently issued orders prohibiting the defendants from carrying out any construction activities on the property.
Prominent court cases in which EACC seeks to nullify the titles held by grabbers include land designated by Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) for the expansion of Moi International Airport, valued at Ksh.2.5 billion; five parcels of land stolen from Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), worth Ksh.150 million; and government houses for civil servants belonging to KRA, valued at Ksh.358.5 million.
Additionally, the commission aims to retrieve a road reserve worth Ksh. 21 million that was excised from Machakos Road in Mombasa, as well as a land parcel valued at over Ksh. 100 million that was unlawfully taken from the Postal Corporation of Kenya in Mombasa by a senior county official.
EACC Pursues Recovery of Ksh 10 Billion Seized Properties in Mombasa
