Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested more than 14 suspects in a major operation targeting a syndicate involved in widespread land fraud. The arrests, which took place over the weekend, are part of a joint investigation involving multiple agencies aimed at dismantling networks responsible for forging land ownership documents.
Among those in custody are two land registrars, a records clerk from Ardhi House, a lawyer, and a former employee of the Ministry of Lands. Investigators also seized 19 vehicles belonging to the suspects and conducted raids at their homes, where fake stamps, seals, letters of allotment, and certificates of lease were recovered. The suspects are expected to be arraigned in court on Monday.
The investigation began in December last year after the Ministry of Lands requested the DCI to help expose cartels behind fake title deeds. The operation is now being extended to the Government Printer and the Business Registration Services (BRS), which are suspected of being used to manipulate ownership records. Authorities believe some of the fraudulent documents were printed at a private printing press run by one of the suspects.
Officials revealed that the syndicate’s operations involve replacing genuine land documents with forgeries in official files to create the appearance of legitimacy. Some of the forged materials include title deeds, deed plans, and transfer documents. Investigators also discovered that the group used stamps and signatures of retired or deceased lands officers to make the falsified records appear authentic.
Court documents show that once the fraudulent records are inserted into land files, they are later uploaded into the digital registry, where they are used to claim ownership of properties. In some cases, these forgeries are presented in court through civil suits to facilitate the illegal acquisition of land from genuine owners.
The suspects face several charges, including conspiracy to defraud, forgery of official documents, making false documents, and obtaining registration by false pretence. Authorities have vowed to continue the operation and bring more individuals connected to the cartel to justice as investigations widen
