“Our officers are undergoing crucial training so that they can become experts in dealing with land cases in the country,” he said
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Cases of land fraud in Juja will soon be eliminated after experts from the DCI moved in to end the vice.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss George Kinoti said DCI sleuths were being trained in matters of land fraud to deal with the cases.
He said such cases were on the rise in Juja and remained a thorn in the flesh for many residents. He said the crime was being perpetrated by individuals with deep pockets.
“They [land fraudsters] are not simple people. They have money,” Kinoti said.
He spoke in Juja town when he officially opened the Juja DCI offices.
Kinoti said a team of experts comprising officers from the National Police Service, Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service and DCI was undergoing training organised by the Ministry of Lands and other agencies to make them experts in handling land matters.
“Our officers are undergoing crucial training so that they can become experts in dealing with land cases in the country,” he said
Kinoti said the officers will be dispatched to Juja and other areas to deal with land matters and unravel cases that have dragged on for years in courts.
He warned police officers aiding fraudulent individuals to grab land from innocent Kenyans saying they will suffer when they retire.
Kinoti said land fraudsters were thriving in the illegal activities because of their money and connections with the police and officials in the Lands ministry.
“We are not going to remain police officers for the rest of our lives. A time for us to retire is coming and we will join the other side where you will have your genuine title deed declared fake simply because of money and greed. Let’s serve with integrity and transparency,” Kinoti told the officers.
He noted that cops have been taken to court and others demoted or expelled from service for aiding land cartels in their unscrupulous deals.
The call for the DCI intervention to crack down the land fraudsters in Juja was made by area MP Francis Munyua's aide Martin Waititu who said many residents have lost their property to fraudsters.
He said public land has not been spared either.
Public utilities including parcels set aside for schools, police posts, hospitals, social halls, recreational facilities and land belonging to squatters have been the major target for the grabbers.
“It seems landgrabbers have pitched their camps here in Juja and are wreaking havoc on innocent landowners. We plead with the DCI to dismantle these cartels and bring the individuals to book,” Waititu said.
He said the area NG-CDF was putting up a lands registry to solved disputes.
“Juja residents will soon not be required to go to Juja town, Ruiru or Nairobi to access land-related services. Our lands registry will in a few months open doors to members of the public and we believe that this development will fast track solving of land matters in this region,” he said.
The modern DCI offices that were opened by Kinoti were built by the Juja business community.
Edited by P.O