Former Agriculture Minister Kipruto Kirwa yesterday denied involvement in the transfer of land in Nyandarua to a private company.
He admitted, however, that he attended the launch of Midlands’s Limited activities on April 30, 2004, because the firm had promised to help farmers add value to potatoes and produce seed potato.
Tstifying against Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya and two others, Kirwa said the company was to promote potato farming.
There was an agreement that Midlands use Njabini Farmers Training Centre land, but it was never to transfer the land to its name, he said.
Kimunya, a director of land adjudication and settlement Lilian Njenga and a director of Midlands Ltd Junghae Wainaina, are on trial.
They are charged with abuse of office, failing to disclose a private interest and fraudulent disposal of public property.
Kimunya and his co-accused are accused of making the transfers in June 2005. Njenga allegedly used her offices to allocate Midlands 25 acres of public land valued at Sh60 million.
Kimunya is also accused of failing to disclose he was a Midlands director. Kirwa told senior principal magistrate Felix Kombo he presented farmers with certificates after they purchased shares.
The land, initially registered under the Settlement Fund Trustee, was transferred to Midlands Limited on February 6, 2006. He said ex-PS Romano Kiome protested the transfer. The hearing resumes on July 3.