Ex-NLC boss Swazuri grilled in court over irregular Ksh.221M SGR land compensation

The corruption case against former National Land Commission (NLC) Chairperson Prof. Muhammad Swazuri continued on Thursday at the Milimani Law Courts, with the prosecution cross-examining him over the approval of compensation linked to the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project.

Prof. Swazuri is jointly charged with 16 others over allegations of conspiracy to commit corruption in connection with a fraudulent compensation scheme during the acquisition of land for the SGR project.

According to investigations, private firms were irregularly paid compensation for parcels of public land, leading to an estimated loss of about Ksh.221 million to the Kenya Railways Corporation.

Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Eunice Nyutu, Prof. Swazuri took the stand as the matter, now at the defence stage, resumed following its last hearing on January 19.

Prosecutors questioned him on how the NLC approved compensation for five parcels of land despite the absence of a valuation report and the failure by a government valuer to confirm ownership of the properties.

The former NLC chairperson is accused of abusing his office by facilitating compensation in favour of Dasahe Investments and Olomotit Estate Limited, despite the land in question allegedly being public property.

The titles to the parcels had reportedly been revoked by the NLC’s Review of Grants and Dispositions of Land Committee after being found to have been illegally acquired.

Among those charged alongside Prof. Swazuri are Dr Salome Ludenyi Munubi, then Director of the Valuation and Taxation Committee at the NLC; the commission’s former Chief Executive Officer, Tom Chavangi Aziz; and Francis Karimi Mugo, the Director of Finance and Administration.