Written By Were Kelly
Former Commissioner of Lands Sammy Silas Komen Mwaita has been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts over an alleged land fraud scheme involving two prime plots in Nairobi worth more than Ksh 300 million.
Mwaita is facing five criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, abuse of office, forgery, and providing false information to a public officer.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Mwaita is accused of conspiring to fraudulently acquire two parcels of land, Plot No. “A” and Plot No. “B”, located along Mai Mahiu Road in Nairobi West, off Lang’ata Road. The land is said to be owned by Rose Njoki King’au and Micugu Wagatharia.
Prosecutors allege that on or before March 30, 2001, Mwaita and his alleged accomplices forged a land grant, Land Reference No. 209/9968, IR No. 85847, and unlawfully registered it under the name Shaba Trustees Limited in an attempt to dispossess the rightful owners.
One of the charges accuses Mwaita of abusing his office as Commissioner of Lands by facilitating the illegal registration of the property without the knowledge or consent of the registered owners.
The court also heard that on March 17 and 18, 2020, the accused parties gave false information to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), falsely claiming ownership of the land under Shaba Trustees Limited, leading to a probe into the true ownership.
The case has attracted public interest due to the high value of the property and the senior government position previously held by the accused.
Mwaita was released on a Ksh 10 million bond, with an alternative of Ksh 2 million cash bail and two sureties.
