Members of Parliament have asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to take over two unresolved land cases in Nairobi’s Mowlem Ward and Magarini, Kilifi County, accusing the Ministry of Lands of failing to act.
The National Assembly’s Committee on Implementation, chaired by Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje, said the Ministry had delayed implementing resolutions adopted in the 12th Parliament on the two land matters.
The first case involves disputed ownership of land parcel LR. NO. 11379/3 in Mowlem. The second concerns the alleged illegal extension of the Galana Ranch boundary in Magarini, which has sparked tensions between locals and the government.
During a meeting with the committee, Chief Land Registration Officer David Nyandoro, representing the Principal Secretary for Lands Nixon Korir, said the Ministry was not directly responsible for implementing the resolutions. He said the cases fall under the mandates of the National Land Commission (NLC), the DCI, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
But MPs were unimpressed.
“The Ministry of Lands is responsible for issuing titles, and several fraudulent titles were issued on the Mowlem land. Why has the Ministry allowed people to keep buying land that is in dispute?” Mwenje asked.
Committee members, including Hilary Kosgei, Lilian Siyoi, Ntutu Kitilai, Raphael Wanjala, and HMemusi Kanchory, supported calls for the DCI’s Lands Fraud Unit to take charge of both matters.
Kosgei described the Ministry’s report as shallow and accused it of harboring fraudsters.
In the Mowlem case, the land originally belonged to three individuals and was later managed by five agents representing 225 prospective buyers. Disputes arose when the agents refused to transfer ownership to the rest of the group. A court ruling in 1983 gave ownership to all 225 buyers plus the agents. However, the land was later fraudulently transferred to a private company, Falcon Kenya Ltd.
The Lands Committee had recommended that NLC compensate affected parties and that DCI and EACC investigate and prosecute those involved in the fraud.
In the Magarini case, a petition by former MP Michael Kingi raised concern over historical injustices involving boundary extensions of the Galana Ranch. The Committee urged the National Land Commission and Director of Surveys to determine the original boundaries in collaboration with local authorities and the community.
MP Mwenje directed the DCI to take charge of both cases and report findings within 90 days. He also ordered the Ministry of Lands and NLC to start implementing House resolutions and report back within the same period.
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