- The suspect and his accomplice were arrested after showing up at the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) offices to influence an investigating officer (IO) to go slow on a case in which they were accused of attempting to grab a 0.2026 hectares parcel of land at Thome V area.
- In the daring bribery attempt to the country's highest criminal investigations agency, the suspect and his accomplice allegedly sought
A renowned serial land fraudster believed to be part of a dreaded well-organized land-grabbing cartel that targets elderly white residents in posh Nairobi suburbs is in DCI custody.
This follows his arrest on Thursday at the DCI Mazingira Complex premises.
The suspect and his accomplice were arrested after showing up at the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) offices to influence an investigating officer (IO) to go slow on a case in which they were accused of attempting to grab a 0.2026 hectares parcel of land at Thome V area.
In the daring bribery attempt to the country's highest criminal investigations agency, the suspect and his accomplice allegedly sought from the investigator a two-month delay in the ongoing investigations.
He allegedly told the investigating officers that the grace period would allow him to obtain a "fake original" documentation of the land.
"Unbeknownst to the suspects, their names have for years been on the Unit's radar of the most notorious land fraudsters in the country," DCI said in a statement on Friday.
"In this case, a team led by the prime suspect had in December last year been thrown out of the land in question which is located behind Roasters Hotel, after they were found erecting a perimeter wall under his (Jackson) supervision."
At the time, the case of attempted grabbing had been reported to the LFIU by yet another interested grabber, who melted away as soon as investigations gained momentum.
After acquiring the proper documents of the parcel, DCI says its detectives found out that the land belonged to a deceased Kenyan whose wife and two children were being threatened by the prime suspect's ring.
This is after they reported the matter at Kasarani Police Station.
"Within the period, the prime suspect (and still is) battling a similar case of grabbing involving a parcel of land at Runda," the DCI statement added.
"Asked to produce proof of ownership of the land, the prime suspect vanished until recently when they requested a sitting with the Investigating Officer (IO)."
Suspecting that they were up to no good, DCI the IO asked them to meet him at his office within DCI Headquarters, to which they agreed.
Once in the office, the suspects allegedly pleaded with him to halt the investigation process as they had found a way of acquiring fake documents, but they needed January and February to wind up the process.
"You can then take us to court any time in March. We will know how to handle it there," they suspect allegedly told the IO.
"For the favour, Macharia placed Sh200,000 on the table as a tip to the officer, unaware that the office they had been ushered into had mounted cameras that recorded all the ongoings. DCI Operations detectives moved in and whisked them away with the exhibits for processing and arraignment."
The DCI has since forwarded the case file bearing the appropriate charges to the ODPP in Kiambu for directions to have the suspects appear in court.
The ODPP directed the IO to release the two on Sh200,000 cash bail to allow the office enough time to peruse the file.
DCI says preliminary criminal analysis conducted by the unit's online and Digital Platforms Unit reveal numerous cases of land fraud implicating the prime suspect.
This includes the attempted grabbing of a tycoon's Karen home on January 18, 2023, where he impersonated the Deputy OCS Karen Police Station.
"The same syndicate has also featured in land-grabbing documentaries, including the Uncensored Africa documentary "Title Deals" where scores cry foul play after purchasing land parcels only to be fenced off by such cartels."