Former Commissioner of Lands Sammy Silas Komen Mwaita has been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts over his alleged involvement in a multi-million shilling land fraud case tied to prime property in Nairobi.
Mwaita faces five charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, making a document without authority, abuse of office, and providing false information to a public officer.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the charges stem from an alleged attempt to illegally acquire two plots of land located along Mai Mahiu Road in Nairobi West.
The parcels, identified as Plot A and Plot B, are said to be owned by Rose Njoki King’au and Micugu Wagatharia and are collectively valued at more than KSh 300 million.
The court heard that on or before March 30, 2001, Mwaita and others conspired to fabricate a grant title—Land Reference No. 209/9968, IR No. 85847, without proper authority.
The forged title was allegedly registered in the name of Shaba Trustees Limited with the aim of unlawfully transferring ownership from the rightful landowners.
Mwaita, who served as Commissioner of Lands during the period in question, is also accused of abusing his office by facilitating the fraudulent registration of the disputed land without the consent of the legal owners.
In addition, the prosecution alleges that on March 17 and 18, 2020, the accused provided false information to officers at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. He is said to have claimed that the land belonged to Shaba Trustees Limited, triggering investigations against the legitimate owners.
The case has drawn widespread attention due to the senior position Mwaita once held and the high value of the property involved.
He was released on a bond of KSh 10 million or an alternative cash bail of KSh 2 million, with two sureties required. The case will proceed to pretrial hearings in the coming days.
