Grabbed public land recovered

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) has recovered 100 acres of Ngong Road forest that was allegedly grabbed by senior government officials in a move to curb impunity and reclaim illegally acquired public assets.

It is still unclear who the specific grabbers of the land are but the KACC acting director John Mutonyi says investigations are underway.

The land together with another 60 acres along Mombasa road both valued at 1.7 billion shillings was on Wednesday handed over to the Kenya Forest Service.

The reclaiming of parcel of land halts the acquisitions that had been going on illegally over the last 10 years even after an objection by Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai against excision of the land that was part of Ngong forest way back in 1994.

Senior government officials, members of parliament and even army commanders are said to be among the cartels that had connived to hive off the forest during the previous regime.

The repossessed land includes 100 acres worth Sh1.5 billion illegally alienated from Ngong Forest near Jamhuri Park and a further 60 acres worth Sh200 million belonging to the Nairobi National Park.

KACC Acting director John Mutonyi handed over the land to Forestry minister Noah Wekesa.

The Ngong Forest land had initially been identified in 1981 for the construction of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry headquarters.

The government accepted the plan, with the Forestry and Natural Resources ministry starting the process of alteration of boundaries of the forest.

Mutonyi said Prof Maathai raised critical objections and thus the process of altering the boundaries was halted.

He said unscrupulous public officials fraudulently caused the land to be subdivided but last year the anti graft body learnt of the transactions and in collaboration with Lands ministry fully recovered the land through cancellation of allotments, revocations and surrender of title.

A block of flats and houses situated in the city's Woodley estate valued at over Sh180M have been repossessed and will be handed over to Nairobi City Council.

Monies also belonging to various institutions have been recovered.