- There are over 130 active civil cases going on before Mombasa courts where EACC is seeking to recover pieces of lands.
- Mombasa County is among the leading counties in the cases of land grabbing in Kenya.
Image: FILE
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered eight acres of land with Government staff quarters valued at Sh365 million in Mombasa.
The land is part of a larger property in the area valued at Sh1.2 billion which EACC is targeting for recovery in Shanzu area adjacent to Shanzu Teachers Training College.
The commission has since obtained orders from the Environment and Land Court in Mombasa stopping Gulf Energy, one of the defendants, from proceeding with developments it was undertaking on the property.
On November 14, 2023, Justice Lucas Naikuni of the Environment and Land Court sitting in Mombasa granted EACC orders prohibiting the defendants from any dealings on the property pending the hearing and determination of the case.
The matter will be mentioned on December 7, 2023.
“EACC has intensified efforts to recover public property grabbed by individuals in collusion with public officials in Mombasa County,” the commission said on Tuesday.
This was revealed on Tuesday when the Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak accompanied by Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Nassir and other Senior Government Officials undertook site visits to some of the high-value properties that the Commission has recovered from the grabbers.
Currently, there are over 130 active civil cases going on before Mombasa courts where EACC is seeking to recover and return to the public stolen property worth over Sh10 billion.
Mombasa County is among the leading counties in the cases of land grabbing in Kenya.
The grabbed property includes prime parcels of land, road reserves, and Government houses belonging to different public institutions.
Some of the notable cases currently in court include illegally acquired public land belonging to Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) which was set aside for expansion of the Moi International Airport worth Sh2.5 billion.
The grabbed parcel includes part of the runway for Moi International Airport.
Another notable case involves illegally acquired public property including Government houses for civil servants belonging to KRA with a current market value of Sh358.5 million.
The Commission has already completed recovery of several properties which have since been returned to the public.
They include Hobley Estate in the Buxton area belonging to the Ministry of Housing which is located next to the Affordable Housing Project in Mombasa and has a current market value of Sh500 million.
The property was recovered through a court process. It is currently housing County Government employees. The Land Registrar has since canceled the titles held by the grabbers following the court order.
Also, seven prime properties comprising six Government houses belonging to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and one house belonging to the Ministry of Housing all in Nyali/Bamburi Estate cumulatively valued at Sh420 million have also been recovered.