EACC detectives on Wednesday morning arrested former National Land Commission (NLC) chairman Muhammad Swazuri.
Swazuri was reportedly arrested alongside several other former officials over KeNHA land compensation controversy.
Following the arrest, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) issued a statement on the ongoing investigations at the National Land Commission (Land reference MN/VI/3801 in Mombasa).
In the statement signed by Noordin Haji, the ODPP listed names of 24 individuals set to be prosecuted along Swazuri.
""The EACC received anonymous report concerning the irregular payments to NLC officials, private persons and entities and conducted investigations into the matter," DPP Haji noted.
The parcel of land targeted for compulsory acquisition by the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) had been initially valued at Ksh 34 million in 2015.
However, Tornado Carriers Ltd declined the ofer and the then NLC Chairman ordered a fresh evaluation of the matter.
The second evaluation team placed the value at a staggering Ksh 109 million in 2017 which KeNHA promptly submitted to NLC for further payout to the land owners.
On April 9 2019, EACC directed the DPP that there was sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution of the suspects in the saga.
The charges that Swazuri and his co-accused are set to face include conspiracy to commit an economic crime, abuse of office, financial misconduct, unlawful acquisition of public property, fealing with suspect property and money laundering.
Swazuri has in the past been charged with conspiring to defraud the government of Ksh221.3 million in the SGR compensation scandal.
He has also been accused with abuse of office, breach of trust, unlawful acquisition of public property and neglect of official duty.
