This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, a controversy surrounding fugitive billionaire Humphrey Kariuki's ownership of a disputed Sh210 million property in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, came to light.
The property, located at 209/3335, was originally allocated to the Teleposta Pension Scheme as part of the assets carved from the former Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation.
However, the scheme has been unable to take occupation of the property, which has since been converted into a wine shop and offices.
According to the scheme's management, the current owner of the property is Crucial Properties Limited, although the owners of this company remain unknown.
Chris Okemo, the then Finance minister, signed a vetting order transferring ownership to the scheme in September 2001.
But without the original green card, which holds the records of all property transactions, it is technically impossible to claim ownership, as no title deeds had been issued until recently.
Posta staff who were initially allocated the house were ejected before the ownership changed hands.
The scheme has attempted to gain repossession of the property, which has a monthly market rent tag of over Sh100,000, but to no avail.
“Our valuation agents have been denied access to the property since 2013 in the bi-annual assessment to determine values,” said Peter Rotich, the chief executive of the scheme.
Three different valuation firms have attempted to enter the prime property, but lack of documentation to prove ownership has made the task complicated.
