Former Lands Commissioner and Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita has been arrested in connection with a land fraud case involving two prime plots in Nairobi West.
In a statement on Sunday, August 3, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed the arrest, stating that the former legislator was apprehended in Kilimani and is now facing a string of serious charges.
"Detectives have today arrested Hon. Sammy Silas Komen Mwaita at Kilimani for the offences of Conspiracy to commit a felony, Making a document without authority, Abuse of office and giving false information to a person employed in the public service," the DCI announced.
The DCI noted that the arrest comes after further directions from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which is pursuing a case linked to two contested plots reportedly worth millions.
“His arrest follows further directions by ODPP in a case involving two plots located at Nairobi West along Mai Mahiu road, both valued at millions of Kenya shillings,” the DCI added.
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Mwaita is currently being processed for arraignment as authorities also intensify the search for his accomplice.
This comes two weeks after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) reclaimed public land worth Ksh104 million in Mombasa that had been illegally acquired by a former senior government official.
In a statement on Thursday, July 24, EACC said the 1.73-acre plot is part of land reserved for Moi International Airport and falls under the custodianship of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).
According to the agency, the land was initially irregularly allocated to Agil Mahmud, who at the time served as the Provincial Physical Planner.
The Environment and Land Court in Mombasa, under Justice Stephen Kibunja, ruled on Wednesday, July 23, that the land had always been public property and should never have been available for private ownership or allocation.
"The title held by Academy Properties Ltd - a subsequent transferee - was cancelled, as the initial allocation to Agil Mahmud, the then Provincial Physical Planner, was illegal and irregular,” the EACC stated.
The recovery is the result of a legal battle that began in 2009, when EACC, then operating as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), filed a suit challenging the illegal acquisition.
The case also implicated former Commissioner of Lands, Wilson Gacanja, who allegedly played a central role in facilitating the fraudulent transaction.
