Businessman loses Sh8b plot to grabbers in Nairobi

Police are investigating the circumstances under which Sh8 billion private land in Karen, Nairobi, was grabbed.

Detectives are probing how ownership for the 134.4 acres of prime land situated opposite to Hillcrest Schools, along Langata Road changed hands and the involvement of Ministry of Lands officials.

The land belongs to Muchanga Limited, whose directors are city lawyer and businessman Da Gama Rose and his wife.

Former Vice President Moody Awori was once a director of Muchanga Limited but resigned from the board when he became Vice President.
Muchanga acquired the plot, registered as LR No 3586/3 Nairobi, in the mid-1970s after buying it from Barclays Bank, who were the trustees of the late Colonel Bradley.

CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro confirmed that a complaint had been lodged about the plot but said he did not have details of the progress of the investigations as he had not been briefed by investigators.

A cartel, which is said to be enjoying support of senior ministry officials, is reported to have acquired registration documents to claim ownership of the land.
The alleged grabbers are said to have succeeded in obtaining approvals for subdivision of the land, registration of survey plans, have obtained deed plans and are currently in the process of processing title deeds.

Of interest to the police is the speed with which officers at the Survey of Kenya approved the survey plan. The plan was approved in a day and the deed plans, which take over six months, were issued in a month.

Officers probing the case, who did not want to be named, told The Standard that already they had questioned a private surveyor who produced the survey plan and senior Survey of Kenya officials.

Yesterday, Da Gama said he reported the matter to the police a fortnight ago, when he was tipped that titles for his land were being processed.

Da Gama said he recently discovered that his rates card at both the Ministry of Lands and City Hall have been changed from Muchanga to another firm.

Apparently, the businessman discovered a parallel registration had also been filed at the ministry, with the second claimant reporting him to police for allegedly defrauding him of the land.

Documents in our possession shows that that survey plans were approved and the deed released on March 19, 2014 despite a letter from the ministry dated August 1, 2013 which acknowledged that the land belonged to Muchanga.

Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu, who has been striving to clean up the Lands ministry, was not available for comment yesterday.