Suspected land fraudsters arrested within DCI Headquarters

The main entrance of DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road. [David Njaaga, Standard]

A suspected serial land fraudster believed to be part of the land-grabbing cartel targeting foreigners in the leafy suburbs has been arrested.

The man was arrested while trying to stop a case of land grabbing that is being investigated by sleuths at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.

Jackson Mwangi Wambui and his accomplice only identified as Macharia were arrested after showing up at the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) offices to influence an investigating officer to go slow on a case in which they are accused of attempting to grab a 0.2026 hectares parcel of land at Thome V area.

"All Jackson Mwangi sought from the investigator was a two-month delay in the ongoing investigations, within which he would have obtained a "fake original" documentation of the land. Unbeknownst to the suspects, their names have for years been on the Unit's radar of the most notorious land fraudsters in the country," DCI said in a statement on Friday, December 8.

According to the sleuths, the suspects had in 2022 been thrown out of the land in question after they were found erecting a perimeter wall after the case of attempted grabbing had been reported to the LFIU by yet another interested grabber, whom DCI says melted away as soon as investigations gained momentum.

"After acquiring the proper documents of the parcel, detectives found out that the land belonged to a deceased Kenyan whose wife and two children were being threatened by Jackson's ring after they reported the matter at Kasarani Police Station," DCI added.

Jackson is said to have vanished after he was asked to produce proof of ownership of the land.

It was then that he was duped for a meeting at the DCI headquarters with the investigating officer.

During the meeting, Jackson and his accomplice pleaded with the sleuths to halt the investigations until they acquire fake documents asking to be given until March 2024, for them to sort themselves.

"For the favour, Macharia placed Sh200,000 on the table as a tip to the officer, all this time unaware that the office they had been ushered into had mounted cameras that recorded all the ongoings.

DCI Operations detectives moved in and whisked them away with the exhibits for processing and arraignment," DCI reported.

The two were released on Sh200,000 cash bail as investigations into the matter is pursued.