Lands minister Orengo denies snubbing Lumumba

Friday, 15 July 2011 15:21 BY MOSOKU GEOFFREY

LANDS minister James Orengo has denied that he snubbed KACC’s request to repossess a disputed mall in New Muthaiga in Nairobi. Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission director PLO Lumumba wrote four times this year to Orengo asking him to revoke the title of the former public land on Thigiri Ridge.
Orengo said that his hands were tied following a court ruling in July 2010 where KACC failed in a suit to have the plot revert to public land. The court ruled that Gemini Properties had a registered land title, it had made substantial development, and mortgaged the property to Barclays Bank. Gemini is controlled by Hussein Chatur, who owns Diamond Plaza.
Orengo said he did not respond to PLO’s four letters because he had already responded to the first one. “Once he wrote to me, then I asked my PS to ensure that no transaction is carried on that property until its status is fully known. This was effected,” he added. He said he wished that KACC had come directly to the ministry before going to court.
He said he and PLO had already worked well on recovery of 600 public land titles this year without going to court. “He moved to court and lost the case and then in January 2011 he approached my office to seek my intervention,” “Why did KACC find it prudent to bypass the ministry until it lost the case?” he asked. “I find it as dishonest for anybody to claim I am not willing to revoke the title to this land while ignoring the court ruling,” said Orengo. “Unless the he (PLO) had moved to court to appeal the ruling, then we will have to respect the orders issued against KACC,” the Lands minister added.
Yesterday Orengo produced a copy of the ruling delivered against KACC by Justice Msagha Mbogholi July 9, 2010. Orengo insisted he was committed to working with KACC to repossess grabbed public land. “We will not rush to implement any of their requests without doing due diligence to ascertain fact about the said property,” he added.