EACC recovers Sh300 million public land in Kisumu

EACC Corporate Affairs and Communication Deputy Director Eric Ngumbi. [File, Standard]

Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered Sh300 million land in Kisumu county in a span of two months.

The three parcels of land were grabbed from Kenya Railways Corporation, Victoria Primary School, and road reserve for the Ministry of Transport.

EACC Corporate Affairs and Communication Deputy Director Eric Ngumbi said that out of the 15 hectares of land worth Sh100 million grabbed from Victoria Primary School, they have recovered 7 hectares.

Ngumbi revealed that they are investigating the fraudulent accusation of another Sh2 billion land belonging to Kenya Railways Corporation in Kisumu.

Speaking during Anti Corruption workshop for journalists based in Kisumu and neighbouring counties, he said the commission has multiple cases filed at the Land and Environment Court in Kisumu worth Sh10 billion.

"For example, for Victoria primary, a head teacher and a school committee member connived and grabbed the land. While in another case of Railways Corporation, a law firm sold the land and people who bought were given title deeds. The other one near Aga Khan, had a fake title deed and those grabbers went to evict Railways Corporation," he said.

Ngumbi said the land grabbers manufactured documents and used the same to sue government institutions and eventually evict them.

Similarly in another case, a law firm manufactured documents and proceeded to subdivide the land and sold to individuals.

EACC claimed that the county government attorneys were also colluding with grabbers.

"Where they agree that grabbers use forge documents seeking to evict county governments from public land then attorneys refuse to defend counties in courts to get their share. Land officials are also deeply implicated both at national and county governments," said Ngumbi.

The commission is also in the process of recovering 18 acres of Kibuye Market valued at Sh2 billion, about 20 acre land in Kisumu Milimani meant for construction of Regional Prisons Staff quarters and offices, road reserves which have been converted into petrol stations and car selling yards.

Others are Kisumu Mamboleo land reserved for an industrial park, grabbed government houses meant for civil servants, and land meant for the expansion of Kisumu Water Treatment Plant and construction of county assembly offices.

On Tuesday, the commission alleged that governors were resisting accountability.

Ngumbi asked the governor to allow investigative and audit agencies to do their work.

"Why are they fighting the closure of multiple bank accounts? These bank accounts facilitate theft. We are waiting for governors to one day meet and recognise corruption as a threat to devolution. We expect them to account for what has gone to counties before they demand more," he said.

"They must address corruption. They must not be defensive. We have done a corruption risk assessment in 21 counties as of today. Those counties have been given reports that if they implement they will go far," he added.