Parklands MCA Jayendra Malde was arrested on Saturday allegedly extorting a Sh5.7 million bribe from Rahim Chatur and his father Madat Chatur who reportedly grabbed public land in Gigiri.
The land, on which a showroom sits, is meant for a fire station and was recently repossessed by Nairobi County with Governor Mike Sonko leading the dramatic operation.
The Sh5.7 million bribe was to be allegedly shared among 19 ward representatives who sit on the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
Malde was apprehended by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in a sting operation.
Sh1,000 notes were found neatly held together by rubber bands in a carton box.
During an August 10 operation to repossess the land, Sonko ordered three county fire engines to be immediately deployed and permanently stationed at the location as the county worked to build a modern fire station.
The showroom owner pleaded with the Governor to allow them some time to vacate, a request Sonko agreed to on condition that the land would henceforth act as a fire station.
"This is a public property that was meant for a fire station. From today, we have reclaimed it back and we shall have a modern fire station built here," he stated.
The Governor maintained that he was committed to reclaiming grabbed public spaces in Nairobi, particularly school land which has for years been a target for connected developers.
"For example, Bohra Primary School’s title deed is registered under a private developer, Daniel Comboni Primary is having encroachment by neighbors all around and part of Garden Estate Primary School is registered under a private developer who has a title," Sonko asserted.
