A decision by former President Daniel Arap Moi to award a parcel of land in Nairobi’s upper hill area to United Arab Emirates ruler - Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan -25 years ago has been revoked.
The National Land Commission (NLC) chairman Muhammad Swazuri ordered UAE to return the land to Kenya stating that Moi’s decision was illegal.
Mr Swazuri said that they had discovered the prime land estimated to be worth Sh500 Million, was initially allocated to the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme (KRSRBS) in 1965 and hence the decision by the then President was wrong.
“The property was vested to the KRSRBS at the time it was allegedly being allocated to Registered Trustees of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. Once land is registered it is not available for allocation to another party.
"Therefore the land was not available for allocation to anyone, not even the Registered Trustees of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan by President Moi. The L.R. Number 11552 registered to the Registered Trustees of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan is illegal,” Mr Swazuri said.
Mr Swazuri has hence directed the chief lands registrar to revoke the title deed and have the land reverted back to KRSRBS.
The former Head of State gave Mr Al-Nahyan the land as a gift in January 1990 to construct the Sheikh Zayed Children Welfare Centre.
Mr Al-Nahyan was the man behind the formation of UAE and ruled the country for 33 years until his death on November 2, 2004 aged 85.
The land has since been managed by trustees - Rajab Sumba and Khan Mirhassan.
