EACC recovers public land worth Ksh.35M grabbed in Bungoma

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered a government-owned plot of land valued at Ksh.35 million that had been illegally acquired and developed by a private individual next to Bungoma State Lodge, at Milimani area in Bungoma Town, on Monday.

A luxury maisonette had already been built on the disputed half-acre plot, Bungoma Township 169, belonging to the Ministry of State Department for Housing and Urban Development.

On Thursday, October 9, Justice Enock Cherono, the Bungoma Environment and Land Court ruled that the acquisition of the land by Judy Nekoye was “fraudulent, illegal, null and void”.

The Court ordered her immediate eviction, nullified the Certificate of Lease, and directed the Bungoma Land Registrar to cancel all illegal entries related to the property.

The court also declared that all previous transactions, including the 2002 lease issued to Charles Nyasani and Scolastica Nyakerario and its 2016 transfer to Nekoye, were irregular and illegal.

EACC’s investigation established that the property was among the government plots reserved in 1961 for the construction of residential houses for senior public officers. It was irregularly allocated in 2004 to Nyasani and Nyakerario before being developed by Nekoye.

Justice Cherono issued a series of orders, including the cancellation of all entries relating to the Certificate of Lease and subsequent entries for Bungoma Township 169, eviction of Nekoye, her agents, and any occupants from the property.

The EACC confirmed that it is recovering 16 other prime public properties in Bungoma town, alleged to have been grabbed.