Many Kenyans have in the past fallen victim to land fraudsters who have wreaked havoc through suspicious transactions which end up costing individuals millions.
In the case of Al Duhail striker Michael Olunga, a particular investment deal to purchase a commercial property in Nairobi almost cost him Ksh67 million.
Back in 2020, the Kenyan forward enlisted the services of a real estate company to purchase the land. Upon signing the sale agreement, he proceeded to make deposits to the company's bank accounts and completed the entire payment in September 2022.
However, he noted that he became suspicious of the deal after the company delayed the purchase process.
Alarmed at the turn of events, Olunga sought the services of a lawyer to compel the firm to either hand over the property or refund the full payment.
“Despite the demand to reimburse back our money or transfer the property to us, the company consistently started treating us to promises and counter promises without any action,” Olunga stated in a previous interview with The Standard.
Much to their surprise, they found the company advertising the same parcel of land in the local newspapers. Through his advocate, Olunga wrote to the company demanding to be refunded the amount but no response was issued.
This prompted the footballer to move to court to compel the firm to honour its part of the deal.
In past court documents, Olunga 's lawyer stated that the company had breached the contract and ought to refund the amount including interest accrued over the period.
He also accused the company of advertising the property while still holding on to his client's Ksh67 million.
After a series of court proceedings, the company's representatives reached out to Olunga's lawyer to settle the dispute out of court.
“Since the parties in the dispute have informed the court that they have reached an agreement and filed a consent to settle the dispute, the case will be marked as settled and withdrawn from court.
"Their consent dated February 27, 2023, settling the dispute will be adopted as an order of this court," Justice Alfred Mabeya stated.
