This archive report was first published on 30 August 2019.
On August 30, 2019, billionaire Francis Mburu, at the center of the Ruaraka land scandal, returned to the spotlight with a new demand for nearly 36 billion shillings from the government.
Mburu, who has taken his case to court, claims he is being unfairly targeted by government officials after the Environment and Land Court ruled that the land on which Ruaraka High School and Drive Inn Primary School sit is public land.
The court found that the National Land Commission (NLC) misled the Ministry of Education into undertaking a compulsory acquisition exercise that was unnecessary and led to the loss of public funds.
Mburu has since appealed the decision and is awaiting the outcome at the appellate court. If his appeal is unsuccessful, he wants the court to deduct the 1.5 billion shillings paid out by NLC as compensation from the 36 billion shillings he is seeking.
He is demanding a total of 36 billion shillings, comprising 23 billion shillings for the market value of the land and 13 billion shillings for the loss of rental income, plus accrued interest.
Mburu accuses the Attorney General of failing to protect him in the alleged illegal acquisition of his property and claims that he is being used as a scapegoat and cover-up for the illegalities and unconstitutional actions of the Nairobi City County, NLC, and the Attorney General.
“Whereas the respondents have accurate records of the suit property, they have actively been publishing untrue and misleading information that affects my integrity,” Mburu said.
The disputed Ruaraka land initially measured 96 acres and was acquired by Mburu in 1981 from Joreth Limited. The suit property is currently valued at over 25 billion shillings and is charged to Continental Credit Finance Limited for 150 million shillings, inclusive of interest.
