The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered a piece of land valued at Ksh.100 million that had been reserved for the Nyahururu bus park.

The land had according to EACC been irregularly, illegally and unlawfully alienated to favour private individuals. The parcel has now been reverted back to the Laikipia County Government which is the rightful owner.

The commission ascertained that there was unlawful alienation of the land to favour private individuals and reported the matter to the Nyahururu Environment and Lands Court in an attempt to recover the grabbed land.

Investigations had shown that the land in question had been donated by the Catholic Diocese of Nyeri for the construction of Ngare Naro Primary School in 1972.

However, in 1984 the now defunct Nyandarua County Council working with the then commissioner of lands James Raymond Njenga hived off 2 acres of the land for the expansion of the Nyahururu bus park with a disclaimer to the school that if the land was not used in the expansion of the bus park it would be reverted back to the school.

But through some underhand dealings the Nyandarua County Council working with the then commissioner of lands Wilson Gachanja subdivided the land into 12 portions and letters of allotment issued to private individuals namely James Kimani Mburu, Boniface Mugo Waikwa, John Kahwai Kabucho, Nereah Muthoni Wachira, Francis Muraya Wachira, Gladys Wairimu Kariuki and Wilson Gachanja.

The 6th Defendant in the case, Gladys Wairimu Kariuki, is the wife of former powerful Minister of State the Late GG Kariuki.

According to EACC, under the alternative dispute resolution negotiations, the defendants who were the allottees agreed to voluntarily surrender the title documents to the commission.

The six grabbers had already begun developing the parcel of land in a joint venture to construct a shopping mall and were at the foundation stage by the time the EACC struck.

By Fred Azelwa.