President Uhuru kin wins Sh122 million Karen land case

Justice John Mativo at a past court proceeding. He told the plaintiff was paid Sh100,000 by mother to withdraw similar suit in 1994. [File, Standard]

The High Court has thrown out a case filed by a businessman against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s kin over a Sh122 million land in Karen.

Justice John Mativo in his judgment in favour of Uhuru's late step-sister Margaret Wambui Kenyatta’s grandson Njomo Kamau, found that his accuser, James Njoroge, had not brought a case that would move the court to kick Njomo out of the land.

The land in question initially belonged to Mr Njoroge’s late parents, Joseph Njuguna and Felista Wanjiru.

According to him, sometime in 1986, his mother allegedly transferred the property into her own name and subsequently sold it to third parties.

The buyers included Wambui, Peter Ngare, James Macharia, Nancy Mugechi, Peter Muchiri, Theresia Wairimu and Kagiri Ndirangu.

Gunpoint

The court heard that Njoroge was given Sh100,000 by his late mother after agreeing to withdraw a similar suit he had filed in 1993. Njoroge, however, had claimed that he was forced to withdraw the case at gunpoint.

Mr Njomo, who swore an affidavit as an administrator of his grandmother’s estate, told the court that she had bought the land for Sh1.5 million.

He further told the court that Njoroge could not raise a claim to the land because his late father, Njuguna, left his late mother and their lawyer, Mohamed Khan, as executors of his will.

Mr Khan, who filed a reply in the case, told the court that the late Njuguna had divided his land among his children during his lifetime but had not transferred all the documents.

He explained that after the patriarch’s death, Wanjiru took over ownership of the property.

He told the court that Njoroge had been granted 10.8 acres of land by his late parents but he entered into an agreement to sell his inheritance.