EACC recovers Ksh.12 million police land in Karatina

The 0.074-acre property, identified as Karatina Municipality/Block II/383, had originally been set aside for police housing at Karatina Police Station. It has now been handed back to the government following the conclusion of a 13-year legal dispute.

The recovery follows a consent agreement recorded at the Environment and Land Court in Nyeri between the EACC and the registered owner, Peter Thinwa Ngari. In a ruling delivered on February 17, 2026, Justice Evans Makori ordered the surrender of the lease certificate to the government without any conditions.

The case dates back to 2013 when the EACC filed a suit seeking to reclaim the land from multiple individuals, including Joseph Mithamo Wachira, Ngari, John Muriuki Ruthuthi and Wilson Gachanja.

Investigations established that the land had been reserved for police housing before a 1998 survey irregularly carved out a portion of it. The excised plot was then allocated to Wachira, who later transferred ownership to Ngari in 2001.

Further findings showed that the unlawful subdivision and allocation were facilitated by Ruthuthi, who was serving as Provincial Physical Planner, and Gachanja, then Commissioner of Lands. At the time, the land had already been designated as government property, making it unavailable for private allocation.

With the court adopting the consent agreement, the long-running dispute has now been resolved, clearing the way for the land to be used for its original public purpose.

The Commission urged members of the public holding irregular titles to government land to voluntarily surrender them through its Alternative Dispute Resolution framework to avoid prolonged legal battles.