Moi leaves family with Sh5.1bn bill for land wrangles

Late President Daniel arap Moi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The household of former President Daniel arap Moi is observing multi-billion shilling compensation fits largely linked to controversial land offers involving the previous Head of State.

The claims are in extra of Sh5.1 billion linked to a number of properties that the previous president, who died in February 2020, both seized or bought in offers that went bitter.

The land offers have additionally sucked in large names corresponding to Fairness Financial institution CEO James Mwangi, tycoon Jaswant Rai and former minister Arthur Magugu and establishments.

Some instances have, nevertheless, been concluded in favour of the previous President, easing the stress on the household.

The most recent case was settled by the Courtroom of Enchantment rejecting an software by the executor of Mr Moi’s will, Zehrabanu Janmhamed, to overturn a choice that ordered the ex-president to pay a widow Sh1.6 billion in compensation for illegally seizing her land.

Mr Moi is then mentioned to have bought the land to Rai Plywood, a timber agency, owned by the billionaire Rai household.

The land was illegally grabbed 39 years in the past however solely transferred to Mr Moi’s identify in 2007.

The household of the late President is entangled in one more dispute involving a parcel measuring 20 acres in Nairobi’s Muthaiga space, which can also be being claimed by a US-based businessman George Kiongera, Mr Mwangi and United States Worldwide College-Africa.

The college, Mr Mwangi by way of Muthaiga Luxurious Properties Restricted and Dr Kiongera by way of Maestro Well being Connections Methods all declare possession of the prime land, with all their purchases traced again to the previous president.

Dr Kiongera is claiming Sh1.6 billion for the land in addition to prices incurred since 2016, arguing he paid Mr Moi Sh500 million.

Pending on the Supreme Courtroom is a Sh1.9 billion compensation swimsuit filed by former deputy director of Intelligence Stephen Mwangi Muriithi, who sued greater than a decade in the past for forcible seizure of his property, together with 1,020 acres in Solai, Nakuru County.

Mr Muriithi had sued Mr Moi for depriving him of his properties, together with land, buildings and shares in three corporations, the place they had been allegedly enterprise companions.

The Excessive Courtroom in 2011 awarded him Sh1.9 billion for loss suffered in sale of his properties and damages for unlawful detention. However the Courtroom of Enchantment overturned the judgment in 2014, triggering the second enchantment on the Supreme Courtroom.

Circumstances of unlawful allocation of land was widespread below former administrations.

Many church buildings, colleges, banks and establishments presently sit on seized land – a development that began at independence however intensified throughout Mr Moi’s rule, particularly from the mid-Eighties to 2002. Land generally focused for unlawful appropriation contains recreation reserves, forests, seashores, cemeteries, homes and leisure areas.

Within the dispute involving the possession of the three-acre land in high-end Muthaiga, Mr Mwangi claims he purchased the property from Mr Moi in 2012 for Sh320 million. A declare is but to be made towards the previous president.

In 2017, Mr Moi received a case towards a bunch of Samburu herders claiming possession of 17,105 acres in Laikipia North.

The 248 members of the group had sued the previous President for transferring the property they claimed was their ancestral land to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for Sh400 million.

However Justice Lucy Waithaka dismissed the pastoralists’ declare to the land and awarded Mr Moi prices of the case.

In 2003, the previous President was sued by his neighbour in Nakuru, Malcom Bell, over the 110 acres the place Moi Excessive College Kabarak, sits.

The matter was settled after Mr Moi’s efforts to escalate the dispute to the Supreme Courtroom had been rejected by judges.

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