EACC moves to recover public land worth over Ksh.250 million in Ruiru

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has filed a suit seeking to recover nine acres of public land in Ruiru, Kiambu County, valued at Ksh.250 million in 2019.

EACC says the land originally reserved for the construction of a public secondary school within the Kahawa Sukari Residential Scheme was illegally converted from educational to private residential use.

The parcel was part of land surrendered by Kahawa Sukari Limited to the government as a condition for the approval of its residential development plans.

In court papers filed before the Environment and Land Court in Thika, EACC accuses the company of breaching lease terms after selling the property to James Mwangi Wagura and Lucy Waruguru Wagura in 2005 before the school was developed.

“The 1st Defendant, Kahawa Sukari Limited, without fulfilling the development conditions, irregularly sold the suit property to the 2nd and 3rd Defendants, who proceeded to apply for change of user from educational to residential,” reads part of the plaint filed by EACC.

The anti-graft body says the subsequent approval of the change of user by the then Director of Physical Planning in the County Government of Kiambu was irregular and unlawful since it paved the way for subdivision of the land into 37 residential plots with certificates of lease issued to the couple.

EACC argues that the transaction was tainted by fraud and illegality, as the land had been public property designated for educational use and could not be lawfully transferred to private ownership.

“The purported change of user, subdivision, and issuance of titles were illegal, null and void,” states an affidavit by the commission.

The commission now wants the court to cancel all the resultant titles and revert the land to public ownership.

“The plaintiff prays that the court declares the transfer, subdivision, and allocation of Ruiru/Kiu Block 3/1372 to the defendants unlawful, and orders reversion of the land to the government for the intended public purpose,” adds the documents.

The property, valued in 2019 at Ksh.250 million, remains the subject of dispute as EACC seeks recovery on behKenya, Tanzania in talks over safety of Kenyans amid post-election unrestalf of the public, maintaining that the land was meant for the construction of a public secondary school within the area and should be restored to serve its original purpose.

Last week, on October 29, 2025, the court issued temporary injunctions restraining the defendants, Kahawa Sukari Ltd, James Mwangi Wagura, and Lucy Waruguru Wagura, from selling, transferring, mortgaging, developing, or otherwise dealing with the land until an inter partes hearing scheduled for November 20, 2025.