Neno Evangelism Pastor James Maina Ng'ang'a on Thursday, March 14, explained how he acquired the contentious piece of land in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD) that has been in the purview of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Appearing before the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Lands, Ng'ang'a detailed that he paid over Ksh42 million to acquire the land put up for sale by the government in 2004.
Neno Evangelism Centre is located at the intersection of Haile Selassie Avenue and Uhuru Highway.
EACC recently filed a case to reclaim the land, believing it originally belonged to the Kenya Railways Corporation.
During the committee proceedings, pastor Ng'ang'a claimed he had the supporting documents to prove the transactions but failed to provide evidence to the MPs.
In a rejoinder, the Committee directed the pastor to provide all the documents proving ownership of the disputed land within 14 days.
While defending his argument, the pastor claimed that he purchased the land from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) after acquiring a loan from a local bank.
"I approached the Central Bank and the people involved in the transactions quoted a retail price of Ksh32 million. I was supposed to pay 10 per cent and the rest within 90 days. I went to a local bank which helped me pay the amount in the form of a loan," he stated.
"Later, I found the said plot of land put up for sale at Kenya Gazette. We applied again and they insisted I pay Ksh42 million. We signed the agreement and the bank paid the amount. I began paying off the debt and completed it in 2008. We signed an agreement and I was given the title 'Neno Evangelism Centre.'
The pastor noted that Kenya Railways drafted a letter seeking to reclaim the land in 2020. He responded by informing the panel that he had legally purchased the land from CBK.
"After that, I was also summoned by former Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and former Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) boss General Mohamed Badi who sought to know whether I had acquired the land legally.
"I provided them with the supporting documents and they pointed out that they lacked the information in their records."
He also accused nameless individuals inside the Kenya Kwanza government of interfering with his ministry, citing malice in the investigations by EACC.
