On Monday, April 14, 2025, Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) an additional four days to detain two Ministry of Lands officials, and six other suspects implicated in a title deed forgery scheme.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ondieki directed that the DCI should conclude their investigations within the extended period. Should they fail to do so, the suspects will be released on a cash bail of Ksh50,000 each.
“The suspects shall each be granted a cash bail of Ksh50,000, effective Thursday, April 17, 2025, at 9:00 am, unless investigations are completed before then,” ruled Magistrate Ondieki.
He further emphasized that under Article 52 of the Constitution, investigative officers are allowed to continue their inquiries even after the trial begins.
The magistrate also ordered each of the eight suspects to report to the DCI’s Land Fraud Investigations Department every Friday at 10:00 am until the investigations are finalized.
The DCI had initially detained the suspects for 10 days and, on Friday, April 11, 2025, requested a 14-day extension to advance their investigations.
During the court proceedings, Sergeant Otieno, representing the DCI, raised concerns about the safety of witnesses, noting that some individuals believed to be connected to the suspects had allegedly issued threats. He highlighted the need to protect witnesses located in various counties to ensure they can record statements without fear or intimidation.
Sergeant Otieno also informed the court that a large amount of evidence, including forged documents, seals, and stamps allegedly from various government offices — including the Ministries of Lands and Interior — had been recovered. Due to the complexity of the case, he said more time was needed to verify and authenticate the materials and determine the role of each suspect.
The case is scheduled to be mentioned again on May 10, 2025, to track the progress of the investigation.
