This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has made a significant recovery in the fight against land grabbing in Kenya. On October 26, 2019, the commission announced that it had recovered over 800 acres of land worth close to Ksh 9 billion that had been grabbed by powerful individuals in Naivasha.
The land, which belonged to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KARLO), was grabbed in the 1990s by individuals who served in past regimes. Despite a pending court case over some of the parcels of land, the EACC has revoked the title deeds of some parcels through an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
EACC South Rift Regional Manager Hassan Khalid explained that the recovery is part of an exercise to ensure that government assets acquired illegally by unscrupulous individuals are recovered. He noted that part of the land was recovered through revocation of title deeds through a gazette notice, while some were returned to the research institute following an agreement with the owners.
‘EACC has been working with the Ministry of Lands and the National Lands Commission to fast-track investigations and hand back what belongs to the government,’ Khalid said.
Additionally, the EACC has recovered several houses worth an estimated Ksh 157 million and currently occupied by civilians in Nakuru town. The 27 houses were awarded to government retirees by a former powerful MP in 1997 but have now been handed over to the department of Housing.
‘We are going round this region recovering all what belongs to the government. Those occupying land or any property, the time to move out is now,’ Khalid said.
