UDA presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua has been handed a reprieve after the courts stopped the transfer or selling of a Sh1.5 billion property that is a centre of a row.
The case filed by Wamunyororo Investments was certified as urgent by Justice Oguttu Mboya. Gachagua is the Managing Director of Wamunyoro.
Justice Oguttu also ruled that the status quo of the disputed property should be maintained.
"For clarity, the suit property shall not be alienated, sold or otherwise dealt with in any manner that may prejudice the current application," said the Judge.
The Judge directed that the application be served to Michael Ohas, his company, Colombus Two Thousand Limited, and Chief Lands Registrar.
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The case will be heard on July 26.
Gachagua , through his lawyer Philip Nyachoti, has accused the former Director of Physical planning John Michael Ohas of doctoring records at the lands office to rob him his land.
The UDA running mate said the property has been used as collateral to secure loans from Equity Bank to a tune of Sh200 million.
"Wamunyoro has always been the legal owner of the disputed property but Ohas and his company Colombus Two Thousand in December 2019 deliberately tampered with the records at the lands office such that any official search on the property currently indicates that Colombus is the registered owner,” says Gachagua
According to the court documents, the previous owners of the land situated in Nairobi were Karandi Farm limited, Peter Mbugua, and Pauline Muringe.
The three were on April 30, 1999, jointly allotted the suit property for a sum of Sh554,000. The money was paid and a certificate was issued.
Gachagua was reportedly approached by the owners of the property with the intention of selling it.
“I carried out due diligence and was able to confirm that the previous owners' certificate of title was authentic and indeed genuine,” said Gachagua.
Gachagua is said to have purchased the property for Sh24 million from the previous owners.
A transfer was effected and a title deed was issued to his company.
But in 2016, Ohas and his company lodged a formal complaint with the National Land Commission (NLC) against Wamunyoro with respect to the property.
