Ex-Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita in a spot again over alleged land fraud
In 2023, he was fined Sh30 million as general damages for allocating a parcel of land valued at Sh70 million to a private developers thus denying the government use of the property for 22 years
Former Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita was on Sunday arrested in Nairobi over alleged land fraud.
In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Mwaita was nabbed in Kilimani and would be charged with the offences of conspiracy to commit a felony, making a document without authority, abuse of office and giving false information to a person employed in the public service.
His arrest followed further directions by Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in a case involving two plots located at Nairobi West along Mai Mahiu Road – both valued at millions of shillings.
Mwaita is expected to be arraigned in court today as the search for his accomplice continues.
This is not the first time the former MP, who served as Commissioner of Lands between 2000 and 2003, is being accused of land fraud.
In 2023, he was fined Sh30 million as general damages for allocating a parcel of land valued at Sh70 million to a private developers thus denying the government use of the property for 22 years.
This is after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) won a battle to repossess the land, Reg. No. MN/1/2396, which had been allocated to Bernsoft Ltd and Equitronics Ltd.
The property had a government house, HG143 Nyali, on it.
While cancelling the title, Environment and Land Court Judge Lucas Naikuni also fined Mwaita Sh5 million for abuse of office, breach of trust and/or tort malfeasance.
In 2022, EACC also recovered and returned public land valued at Sh430 million, which had been reserved as an interchange for Mombasa Road and Eastern Bypass at Cabanas but was fraudulent and illegally transferred in 2001 by Mwaita to a company known as Wak Ltd.
“A declaration that the transfer of the grant to Redwood on or about March 30, 2001, in respect of the suit property was made fraudulently and illegally and is void and did not vest any lawful title,” Justice Komingoi noted.
In 2011, he was charged alongside then Cabinet minister William Ruto (now President) and former president Moi’s aide Joshua Kulei over alleged fraud in the transfer of a parcel of land valued at Sh96 million ( under the prevailing exchange rate at the time) in Ngong forest. The case later collapsed.
Mwaita is also said to have been instrumental in the controversial degazettment of Mau forest land to pave way for the issuance of title deeds to Ogiek squatters.
