Nairobi businessman in court over property demolition

Francis Nyaga Njeru

A city businessman who police linked to the demolition of a house worth Sh55 million in Westlands, Nairobi, appeared in court Wednesday.

Francis Nyaga Njeru appeared before Milimani Senior Resident Magistrate Hellen Onkwani under a miscellaneous application by the prosecution. The magistrate directed Mr Njeru (right) to appear before the National Land Commission (NLC) to shed more light on the ownership of the property, which was pulled down on Sunday.

Police reports stated that the family of Parin Kurji said they had lived on the quarter acre since 1972. The family learnt the lease of the property, which is on Jalaram Road next to Oval Place in Westlands, had expired in 2009.

It is alleged that a company, Franc Logistics, obtained a title deed and a survey plan was issued last year. It was then that Kurji, who is the head of biometry at the University of Nairobi, lodged a complaint with the National Land Commission.

Wednesday, Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko, through lawyer Lindsey Mugambi, urged the court to detain Njeru for seven days on grounds that investigators were yet to piece together evidence on the disputed property before he is formally charged. But the magistrate released him on a Sh300,000 cash bail.