Two senior land officials were arrested and charged for allegedly planning to defraud a company of prime land within Nairobi valued at Ksh 1 billion.
In a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dated Tuesday, June 4, the Registrar of Titles and a Land Administration officer conspired with eight other people to fraudulently transfer the land to another company.
DCI revealed that the officials presented a fake allotment letter in order to facilitate the land transfer.
According to the police, the suspects purported that the allotment letter was authentic and had been issued by the National Lands Commission (NLC).
However, the deal failed to materialise with the police involved in investigating the matter.
"In the botched land deal, the two with other individuals conspired with intent to defraud a company of the prime parcel of land by falsely pretending that a letter of allotment Ref No. 93103 was a genuine Letter of Allotment issued by the National Land Commission to facilitate the registration of the parcel of land in the name of another company," DCI stated.
Following investigations, the police preferred the charges of making a false document and obtaining registration by false pretences against the 10 suspects.
According to the investigative agencies, the 10 were charged before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina on Monday, June 3.
However, one of the suspects failed to show up in court alleging that he was sick.
Those who appeared in court pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on Ksh100,000 cash bail.
Further, DCI cautioned Kenyans against involvement in land fraud noting that its special unit was on high alert to prevent government officials and unscrupulous individuals who have plans to defraud innocent Kenyans of their land.
"The DCI's Land Fraud Investigation Unit, a cornerstone in the fight against fraudulent activities, plays a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of land ownership and preventing fraudulent schemes that can undermine property rights, economic stability, and public trust in land-related transactions," DCI added.
