Lands PS Korir, MP and lawyer sued in Sh2.75b public land heist

Lands Ps Nixon Korir during a stakeholders meeting in Nakuru on February 13,2025 which brought together representatives of the settlers , local leaders, officials from the government among other over the resettlent of Eastern Mau forest settlers. [Kipsang Joseph,Standard] An activist has petitioned the High Court over allegations that senior government officials and a prominent city lawyer masterminded a Sh2.75 billion compensation fraud involving a parcel of land in Embakasi, Nairobi. Francis Owino has sued Principal Secretary for Lands Nixon Korir, Narok South MP Sylvester Ntutu and lawyer Johnson Osoi of Johnson & Partners LLP over what he describes as a "clandestine, complex, and fraudulent scheme" that resulted in the illegal alienation of 38 acres of land and the embezzlement of public funds. In a petition filed before the Milimani High Court, Owino alleges that the trio orchestrated the misappropriation of billions of shillings paid by Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) for the compulsory acquisition of land meant for the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The land, measuring approximately 168 acres, had been occupied since 2010 by members of the Dupoto/Dafur Settlement Welfare Scheme, a registered community-based organisation (CBO) representing hundreds of vulnerable families in Embakasi. The land had originally been allocated to the Nairobi City Council in 1958 for residential development. However, it was later reallocated to the settlement scheme. In 2015, some 74 acres were compulsorily acquired by Kenya Railways for the SGR project, while the remaining 93 acres were retained by the settlement scheme's members. Acting in good faith, the community had engaged Letangule & Co. Advocates to represent them in overseeing the compensation process. However, Owino claims that in mid-2023, a "clandestine and illegal" scheme was initiated engineered by PS Korir. "Korir unlawfully engineered the surrender of 38 acres of the suit property without compensation or proper justification," the petition reads. In addition, the petition claims that Korir diverted over Sh300 million from the compensation funds disbursed by Kenya Railways Corporation. According to court documents, this move involved collusion with certain scheme officials to secretly remove Letangule & Co. Advocates and replace them with Johnson & Partners LLP, a firm unknown to the community and allegedly without legal authority to act on their behalf. "This move was a flagrant breach of fiduciary duty, and no public participation was conducted, in violation of Articles 10, 27, 40, 47, and 232 of the Constitution," Owino stated in his affidavit. Owino claims that scheme members were never informed, consulted, or shown any sale agreements or transaction documents. Yet, Kenya Railways reportedly disbursed Sh2.75 billion in compensation, which Owino says never reached the rightful beneficiaries. The petition further claims that MP Ntutu played a central role in the alleged fraudulent scheme despite having no legal or official role in the land transaction, and unlawfully received Sh250 million. Owino says Ntutu unlawfully received the millions of shillings and misused the name of President William Ruto to influence and mislead stakeholders. "Ntutu invoked the name of the President to coerce and mislead stakeholders, which constitutes a blatant abuse of public office and a direct act of fraudulent enrichment at the expense of the affected community," the petition claims.

Lands PS Korir, MP and lawyer sued in Sh2.75b public land heist

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