Board allowed payments in ICT Park land deal

By Evelyn Kwamboka

Malili Ranch board of directors authorised payments to members whose land formed part of the area earmarked for the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Park.

Lawyer Erick Mutua said he received a resolution from the board asking him to pay the members, who included two directors.

He said the directors received Sh130 million after the sale agreements had been sealed. This was done through cheques and bank transfers.

"I paid the money as per the list I was given, and the two directors were among those to be paid," he told Chief Magistrate Gilbert Mutembei.

The lawyer said this in a case in which Peter Mutua Kanyi and Julius Kilonzo are charged with defrauding Malili Ranch Limited of Sh78 million and Sh52 million respectively.

Sh500,000 each

The two have denied the charges and are out on a cash bail of Sh500,000 each.

The Government bought a 5,000-acre land near Salama Trading Centre along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway for Sh1 billion with the intention of setting up the ICT Park in line with Vision 2030.

But some of the shareholders, who have testified in court, said they were not aware of the sale and that their land was sold without their knowledge.

Last year, the company’s treasurer, Benard Katua, told the court that only the chairman, Mr Josiah Munuka (now deceased), knew about the sale.