EACC recovers Sh35m grabbed land near Bungoma State Lodge

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission CEO Abdi Ahmed Mohamud. [File, Standard]

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered a prime government property worth Sh35 million next to Bungoma State Lodge after the court ruled that a private developer had illegally acquired and developed it.

Justice Enock Cherono of the Bungoma Environment and Land Court on Thursday, 9 October 2025, declared that all transactions leading to the transfer of the land to Judy Nekoye were fraudulent, illegal, null and void.

The court ordered her eviction and directed the Bungoma Land Registrar to cancel the lease and remove all illegal entries from the land register.

The disputed half-acre property, Bungoma Township/169, was reserved by the government in 1961 for the construction of residential houses for senior public officers.

Investigations by EACC showed it was irregularly allocated in 2004 to Charles Nyasani and Scolastica Nyakerario, who later transferred it to Nekoye in 2016.

EACC told the court that Nekoye demolished a government house on the plot and built a luxury maisonette before petitioning to be declared the rightful owner.

The Commission opposed the petition, insisting the land was public property.

"The judgment is a victory for the public and a warning to land grabbers that they will be held accountable," said Stephen Karuga, Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication at EACC.

Karuga explained that the agency is pursuing 16 other grabbed public properties in Bungoma town for recovery and return to the public.

He added that buyers should carry out due diligence before purchasing land to avoid losses arising from illegal acquisitions.