Ksh2.8 billion that was illegally grabbed from Karura Forest. The development was confirmed by the commission in a statement on Tuesday, October 28.
According to the ruling delivered by the Nairobi Environment and Land Court on Thursday, October 23, the contested land was unlawfully allocated to former minister Joseph Kamotho in 1997 before being sold to private investors. The court determined that the property, which comprised two combined parcels, had been reserved for the Kenya Technical Teachers College (KTTC) and a section of Karura Forest both classified as public land.
The EACC revealed that the illegal allocation was facilitated by two former land commissioners who will be held accountable. The case, which was filed in 2007, sought to reverse the fraudulent acquisition that contravened both the Forest Act and the Government Lands Act.
In its judgment, the court emphasized that the land was alienated government property and that its allocation to Kamotho was unlawful. It further affirmed that the principle of first registration does not protect property obtained illegally, as provided under Article 40(6) of the Constitution.
EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud confirmed that 16 acres of the recovered land will revert to Karura Forest, while one acre will be handed back to KTTC. Mohamud reiterated the commission’s commitment to tracking and reclaiming public land lost through illegal allocations.
This recovery follows another successful case in Bungoma County, where EACC reclaimed a half-acre government plot worth Ksh35 million earlier in October. The Bungoma Environment and Land Court ruled that the land originally belonging to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development had been fraudulently acquired and developed into a private maisonette.
EACC continues to strengthen its land recovery initiatives to safeguard public assets across Kenya.
