This archive report was first published on 5 January 2022.
Four men suspected of trespassing into President Uhuru Kenyatta's land in Karen, Nairobi, have been detained for two days. They were arrested on January 3 and are being held at Muthaiga police station.
According to the prosecution, the men went to the land located along Windy Ridge in Karen without the owner's authority and started searching for beacons to sell the parcel. However, their lawyer, Danstan Omari, claims that the men were simply walking along the road next to the land and were wrongly arrested.
State prosecutor Fredrick Kimathi had asked the court to allow police to detain the four suspects for seven days to allow investigations into an alleged fake title they were using to claim the president's land. However, Magistrate Jane Kamau agreed with Omari that it would be unjustified to detain the suspects for seven days and directed that the matter be mentioned on January 12 for further directions.
Omari argued that the prosecution is aware that the land belongs to the president and should not hide his identity to punish the suspects. He also claimed that the state has the machinery to find out who the real grabbers are and that it is not fair to punish the four men.
Magistrate Kamau allowed police to hold Mohamed Muhammud, James Opere, Jonah Tuuko, and Samakin Lesingiran to allow police time to conclude investigations on the circumstances leading to the alleged trespassing into the property. They will be released on a police bond of Sh30,000 each after two days.
