New twist over Sh800m plot near State House

The controversy surrounding a two-and-a-half acre plot near State House, Nairobi, has taken a new twist after a man claimed fraudsters faked his death to sell it to an Ethiopian investor.

The prime land is estimated to be valued at Sh800 million.

Julius Kiplangat Kitur, who says he was allocated the disputed plot in 1996, said a man claiming to be his partner had forged documents to show the property was allocated to both of them before he 'died'.

Allotment letter

The man says he was allocated the land situated on State House Crescent by the Government vide a letter of allotment dated January 4, 1996, and paid Sh485,290 to facilitate the processing of his title.

The land was registered in his name as L.R No. 209/5581 and given a lease for a period of 99 years commencing on January 1, 1996, according to documents.

However, Kitur says the said fraudster swore an affidavit claiming he died on February 22, 2005, after allegedly suffering a brain tumour and chest complications.

"He even annexed a forged death certificate No. 8222008, entry No. 8103019 dated October 23, 2005 purporting to confirm my said death," Kitur says.

The grabber further went ahead to subdivide the plot into four, supposedly with the consent of his 'widow' and later amalgamated them into one and produced a new title registered as 209/5582 to enable the sale.

In a complaint to the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Kitur says he learnt from the documents that his 'partner' had sought to sell the land to clear hospital bills allegedly totalling Sh3.5 million and would share the balance equally with the 'widow'.

A dispute over the ownership of the plot emerged in court last year, this time with Kitur, who had supposedly died in 2005, signing an affidavit in civil case No. 907 of 2014.

"That the above-mentioned case (in which it's alleged I am the plaintiff was also fraudulently filed on my behalf at Milimani Law Courts," he says in a complaint to the CID.

Ngilu's order

The disputed land is among four plots whose walls were brought down last week by NYS officers following instructions from Lands CS Charity Ngilu.

An Ethiopian national, Hailu Asfaw who is a director with Myta Ltd that claims ownership of the plot, has since registered a complaint with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and National Land Commission accusing the Ministry of Lands of aiding persons to grab the land.

Kitur says he later learnt from his lawyer Tom Onyango that the law firm of Ahmednasir and Abdikadir had written a letter demanding the original title.