Editor's Review

EACC recovered a 2.7-acre public school playground in Kikuyu from the PCEA Ruguthi Women's Guild.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered a 2.7-acre public school playground in Kikuyu after the Environment and Land Court at Thika affirmed that the title issued to the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Ruguthi Women's Guild be reversed.

In a statement issued on Monday, October 26, the EACC said it moved to repossess the land after the court said that its registration under the PCEA Women's Guild was irregular and fraudulent.

The Commission said that the playground was public land reserved for use as a playground by Kanyiha, Lusigetti and Njumbi Primary Schools.

"The Court declared the allocation and registration of the land in the Guild's name illegal, null and void, affirming that the property is held in trust for the three public schools," the statement read.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) had filed a case in court challenging the reallocation of the land, with EACC named as an interested party.

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A file photo of the PCEA Ruguthi  Church.

EACC conducted investigations and proved to the court that the PCEA Women's Guild had not made any payments to the Kiambu County Government for renting or purchasing land.

"The investigations further revealed that there was no letter of offer or acceptance, no evidence of payment of rent or rates, and no proof that the Women's Guild had paid any consideration to the former County Council of Kiambu for the land," the statement continued.

The Commission welcomed the court's directive, stating that it safeguarded a vital public facility used by more than 1,300 pupils, thereby ensuring that the playground remains available for learning, sports and recreation for current and future generations.

It reaffirmed its commitment to protecting public property and ensuring that public resources are preserved for the benefit of all Kenyans.

Earlier, the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court convicted an ex-human resource officer from the Kiambu County government for allegedly falsifying academic documents to secure employment.

The convict was found guilty of three counts of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document and presenting a forged certificate after she pleaded guilty under a plea agreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The court fined Margaret Njeri Mbugua Ksh20,000 with a default sentence of six months' imprisonment for each count and ordered the accused to pay Ksh1 million in compensation to the Government on the charge of fraudulent acquisition of public property.