Suspended Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu has accused presidential advisor Joshua Kuttuny of pressuring her to give up a two acre piece of land on State House crescent in Nairobi.
Ngilu who was questioned for close to nine hours at the EACC offices at Integrity Center, said Kuttuny spoke to her in her office in January and said President Uhuru Kenyatta had ordered that she go slow on the land in light of “new developments”.
Ngilu however said the land is public property and is the planned site for Foreign Affairs ministry offices.
The ownership of the land is however being claimed by two other entities; Hailu Asfaw and Ethiopian investor and businessman Julius Kiplangat Kitur.
Ngilu however remained adamant that both claimants got the land fraudulently. She claimed the later got the land when he worked for presidential escort during former President Daniel Arap Moi’s era.
Ngilu was further questioned on allegations that she intended to get a Sh65 million kickback from the inflation of land owned by Evason Waitiki in Mombasa county by Sh110 million.
“The CS allegedly instructed the valuers from her ministry to overvalue the land,” the EACC report on public officials accused of graft says.
The Chief Lands Registrar and two staffers of the Director of Surveys – Julius Kitur and Albert Kitur – are also implicated in the scheme.
EACC has also been investigating the ownership of the 134.4 acres Karen land being claimed by Muchanga Investment and a company associated with former National Social Security Fund managing trustee Jos Konzolo. The case is in court.
Registrar Mwendwa, her deputy Geoffrey Birundi, senior deputy director of survey Pauline Gitimu and registrar of titles Mark Wanderi are also accused of being among the beneficiaries of the 134.4 acres of land in Karen belonging to Muchanga Investment.
Some time last year, a group of people invaded the land and subdivided it under the supervision of senior Lands officials, prominent politicians and businessmen before the Lang’ata police boss ordered out and secured the parcel.
A contractor hired to build access roads and fence the land was later killed by gunmen as he entered his Ngong home.
Chief Lands Registrar Sarah Mwendwa was also questioned by the anti-graft team.
– the-star.co.ke
