The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has announced the recovery of 12 illegally acquired parcels of public land in Kakamega and Bungoma counties, valued at Ksh320 million.
In a statement on Friday, June 20, the commission said the recovered land has been fraudulently acquired by private individuals in collusion with rogue public officials.
The properties, which include government houses, have now been surrendered to their rightful public owners.
Speaking during a regional security forum held at the Mumias Cultural Centre in Kakamega County, EACC Western Regional Manager Eric Ngumbi confirmed the development and raised concern over the growing trend of land grabbing in the region.
“There is an increasing number of cases involving the grabbing of public land in Western Kenya by private developers who go ahead to use the fraudulently acquired title deeds to secure loans,” he said.
Read More
Ngumbi also disclosed that EACC is currently pursuing another 56 parcels of land in the region that are suspected to have been illegally acquired.
The properties are owned by various government agencies including the State Department for Housing, Judiciary, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya Railways, and the National Treasury.
Western Regional Commissioner Samson Macharia, who convened the meeting, backed EACC’s efforts and urged administrative officers to uphold integrity in their operations.
“Our officers must take responsibility for ensuring efficient service in their areas of command. We must all support EACC in their investigations to ensure accountability at all levels," he said.
