A Korean missionary on Thursday told court that his compatriot and friend colluded with City Hall to demolish his church and grab his land.
He said he and Kang Janathan bought the land and later subdivided it. Seung Song Ho was testifying in a case in which he is accused of forging a document purporting to be from the county Urban Planning and Housing department.
Seung said Kang also lured City Hall to build a sewer on the parcel. He told Kibera senior resident magistrate Boaz Ombewa that the Director of Criminal investigations had investigated the matter and found that Kang forged his signature to succeed on his mission. In another case, Seung has sued Kang and City Hall for invading his land.
Even after they built a wall to separate their parcels and ensure privacy, Kang still went ahead to corrupt City Hall officials in 2013 and convinced them to demolish his Sunday school, Seung said.
“After I constructed my Sunday school, my friend, together with City Hall, came with bulldozers and pulled it down to erect the sewer line and a wayleave,” he said.
He said City Hall, through the Urban Planning and Housing department, had approved his ownership and allowed him to construct the school.
The court heard that the duo came to Kenya in 1998 — Seung as a Christian missionary and Kang as a businessman. They purchased the land and later divided it based on their shares, an exercise that was overseen by the surveyors. Kang got 60 per cent and Seung 40.
On Thursday, Seung accused Kang of taking his pictures while in court and posting them to Korean bloggers to taint his image.
“He posts them on social media, portraying me as a criminal who has been convicted. He has done it frequently. Even today morning, my picture was taken and you can just confirm from his phone,” he told Ombewa.
He requested the magistrate to protect him.
Kang dismissed the claims. He said he neither forged Seung's signature nor sought to steal his land.
The magistrate warned Kang against taking photos and posting them on the Internet, as he is not a journalist.
Ombewa directed the case be heard on July 22 and 23, granting prosecutor Charles Mwangi's request.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
