Nairobi investors have been ordered to surrender their property valued at Ksh20 billion for the development of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
A ruling by the Environment and Land Court indicated that Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), a government agency in charge of JKIA, won the 16-year-old case regarding ownership of 494-acre parcel of land.
The authority had filed the suit in 2004 seeking to repossess the parcel adjacent to the airport from Mlolongo Association and Uungani Settlement Scheme.
The investors laid claim to the parcel and even produced letters of allotment proving that they had acquired the parcel legally.
In his ruling, however, Environment and Land Court Judge Samson Okong’o upheld the title of land registration number 21919 which was presented by KAA as valid.
He further ruled that the allotment letters produced by the two organisations were fake.
“It is surprising that Uungani could be allocated land that was already surveyed and included as part of LR No 21919.
“It is even more shocking that the Director of Surveys could authorise a survey to be conducted for the purposes of subdividing LR No. 1423 that was already included as part of LR No. 21919 whose deed plan was authenticated and issued by the same Director of Survey," stated the judge.
“The land was, therefore, reserved and set apart for the future development of JKIA and as such was not available for allocation to Uungani or any other person,” he added.
The defendants were seeking compensation of Ksh19 billion for the land but the judge noted that they were not entitled to any compensation.
The defendants were also seeking Ksh 288,547,680 for valuation fees and a total of Ksh 1,100,393,400 claimed for roads, water reticulation, electricity supply, planning and survey.
In its court documents, KAA had indicated that the international airport had lost over 11,000 acres of land to individuals they termed as fraudsters.
The authority listed the officials of the two organisations as Peter Muinde Mbiti (chairperson), Agnes Njeri (vice chairperson), James Njoroge Murigi, Solomon Mwau, Stephen Mwania and Dominic Katua.
