Silverio Omari
Three individuals have been taken into police custody in Uasin Gishu County over alleged fraudulent land activities. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects are accused of targeting landowners by issuing fraudulent eviction orders.
The DCI stated that their investigation began following reports from individuals who claimed to have lost their land, dating back to January when the issue was first raised. The affected parties reported substantial losses of land they had occupied since 2001 within Uasin Gishu County.
“Investigations were initiated after receiving a letter at DCI headquarters on January 31, 2024, from the affected landowners,” the DCI confirmed.
Detectives from the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) at DCI Headquarters conducted the investigations. It was alleged that the individuals in question forged a title deed to file a court application, subsequently obtaining an eviction order which they used to displace legitimate landowners on October 7, 2022.
“The investigation revealed that the purported title deed was not issued by the Ministry of Lands, nor was it printed by Government Printers. No records of its issuance were found in the land registry presentation book,” stated the DCI. Additionally, the green card associated with the land was not serialized in the Uasin Gishu County land registry data.
Furthermore, a document examiner’s report indicated alleged forgery of stamps and signatures on an acknowledgment note showing payment for the land.
The three suspects have been arraigned in court and have denied the charges. They were released on a bond of Sh500,000, with a pretrial scheduled for July 22, 2024.
Dj Vnyash
