NLC paid dealer billions for State land, MPs told

National Land Commission (NLC) Chairman Mohamed Swazuri. [Photo by David Gichuru/Standard]

The National Land Commission (NLC) could have irregularly paid Sh1.5 billion to a firm for land belonging to the Government.

This emerged yesterday when the National Assembly Lands committee chaired by Kitui South MP Rachael Nyamai visited Ruaraka High and Drive in Primary schools that sit on the 13.8 acres the Ministry of Education is acquiring at Sh3.3 billion.

Two schools

Managers of the two schools told the MPs that the land was public utility when it was given out by former Nairobi Mayor Andrew Ngumba.

It also emerged that NLC, chaired by Muhammad Swazuri, did not engage the schools in the “acquisition process”.

The process was authorised by then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i on March 17, 2017, to ensure the two public schools acquired title deeds.

A total of Sh1.5 billion has since been wired to Whispering Palms Estate Ltd, which is still expecting in excess of Sh1.7 billion.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has since stopped the additional payment until an ongoing probe of alleged corruption is completed.

Yesterday, John Thuo, who has served as chairman of the school’s board of management for 18 years, said the land was set aside by the Government for utility purposes in 1966.

He said the land was meant for putting up social amenities and that the community decided to put up a school to save children in the area from walking long distances in search of education.

He said the school acquired the land through a city education plan in 1984 with the help of Mr Ngumba, who was then area MP.

The school in 1999 acquired an allotment letter to process the title, which is yet to be processed to date.

“We have never seen anybody or group of people claiming this land since we started developing this school,” Mr Thuo said.

The committee is investigating claims of double compensation and whether valuation was properly done to purchase the land at Sh218 million per acre.

Ruaraka Principal Agnes Chege and her counterpart at Drive in Primary School, Benjamin Oloo, told the committee that NLC did not involve them in the process.

“Officers from the commission who came here to survey the land came on their own. We were never briefed about their mission,” Ms Chege said.

His land

The acquisition began in 2016, when the commission wrote to the ministry over complaints by the owner that the schools had stood on his land for 30 years without any compensation.

“The commission made payments to Whispering Palms Estate Ltd on January 29, 2018, amounting to Sh1, 500, 000, 000,” said Mr Swazuri.

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