This archive report was first published on 28 June 2020.
Ngong Forest, a 7,231-acre forest in Nairobi, has lost 6,000 acres to greedy politicians and state officials, leaving only 1,330 acres intact.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko has revealed that high-profile individuals and politicians have used their positions of power to grab public land, with some even selling it to unsuspecting Kenyans.
Among those at the centre of the scandal are former and present politicians, including former Kiambaa MP Stanley Munga Githunguri, who allegedly grabbed 9.24 acres, and current Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, who is said to have illegally acquired 18.24 acres of land.
Major General Njoroge, a former member of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) board, is also accused of acquiring a huge parcel of land, while churches such as Nairobi Chapel, Mugumoine PCEA Church, and St Francis ACK church each sit on 6.5, 2.47, and 2.50 hectares respectively.
According to Tobiko, "Members of Parliament themselves, both current and past, senior government functionaries. It is not the ordinary mwananchi and acquired the properties,"
As the state seeks to recover the land, over 800 homes in Nairobi's Lang'ata area are at risk of demolition, including those in Sun Valley Estate Phase I, Sun Valley Phase II, Sun Valley Phase III, KMA Lang'ata estate, and Lang'ata Place.
