Ruaraka scam: How govt bought its own land at Ksh.1.5B

The 13-acre controversial piece of land in Ruaraka is public land, according to Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.

The county boss on Wednesday told the Senate Public Accounts Committee that the piece of land remained the way it is after subdivision, intimating that the government may have spent billions to buy its own land.

Sonko told the MPs that the owner of the land by law was supposed to surrender a piece of it for establishment of social amenities and public utilities, further adding that the subdivision was done in 1982.

Out of the Ksh.3.2 billion, Ksh.1.5 billion has already been paid out as compensation for the land to Afrison Export Import owned by Francis Mburu.

This, the Senators now say, amounts to the government buying its own land.

According to Sonko, the county has already suspended officers who took part in the suspect deals surrounding the land, as well as officers who allegedly faked the waiver rates for the piece of land.

“This matter… we have subjected it to some further investigation and the officers have already been interdicted, we are waiting for further police action,” said Governor Sonko.

During the proceedings, it emerged that the Kenya Urban Roads Authority has also paid out millions of shillings for the 59 acres for the expansion of the Outer Ring Road yet it is also public land.

The Senate’s watchdog committee now wants National Lands Commission boss Muhammad Swazuri and Treasury officials who wired the billions as well as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to be held responsible.