Raila's Odinga with his friend Jaffer Mohammed [image courtesy] A Mombasa family’s hopes of benefiting from Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) millions have diminished after a land battle with three companies was thrown out but shed a light on how Mombasa based billionaire scammed the government more than Ksh. 500 Million.
The family had in 2018 petitioned the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) demanding that the National Land Commission Chairman Muhammad Swazuri and Kenya Railways Corporation CEO Atanas Maina be investigated over the compulsory acquisition of a piece of land, LR No MN/VI/755, located in Miritini, Mombasa. Kenya Railways MD Atanas Maina The family of the late James Kamau Thiong'o and the African Gas and Oil Company Limited (AGOL) have been claiming ownership of the disputed land and the matter has been active before the court.
Also sued were Golden Sparrow Trading Company Ltd and Mjad Investment Ltd both owned by Jaffer.
However, both the National Land Commission (NLC) and the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) processed the payment before they could determine the legality of the title being held by AGOL.
Yesterday, on the 7th of July, 2021, the Environment and Lands Court told representatives of the estate of James Kamau Thiong'o that the land in dispute had been acquired by the government in 1976 extinguishing the case that has been a thorn in the flesh of Mohammed Jaffer.
Judge Charles Yano ruled that documentary evidence tabled in court, including proof of compensation, had revealed that the compulsory acquisition process for parcel No. MN/VI/755 was completed back in 1977, and the family’s title extinguished.
Despite the case coming to an end, it remains a mystery why the Sh519 million was paid to Mohammed Jaffer firms yet the government had bought the land in 1976 as now confirmed by the courts.