The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered grabbed public land valued at Ksh12 million that had been reserved for police housing at Karatina Police Station in Nyeri County.
In a statement issued on Friday February 27, 2026, the Commission stated that the breakthrough came after a 13-year legal battle at the Environment and Land Court in Nyeri between EACC and the purported owner.
“The parcel, known as Karatina Municipality/Block II/383 and measuring 0.074 acres, was surrendered to the Government after a 13-year legal battle,” the EACC statement read in part.
“In a consent recorded before the Environment and Land Court in Nyeri between the EACC and the registered owner, Mr. Peter Thinwa Ngari, Justice Evans Makori on 17 February 2026 ordered the surrender of the Certificate of Lease for Karatina Municipality/Block II/383 to the Government, free of any encumbrances.”
The Commission had on 14 May 2013 filed a case at Nyeri Law Courts against Joseph Mithamo Wachira, Peter Thinwa Ngari, John Muriuki Ruthuthi and Wilson Gacanja, seeking recovery of the land.
Investigations had established that the property was originally set aside for police housing in Karatina town.
“Further inquiries revealed that in 1998, a survey excised part of the land and generated two development plans: Ref. No. C20/98/4 for a proposed residential plot and Ref. No. C20/98/5 for the existing police station site,” EACC noted.
According to EACC, the excised parcel was allocated to Joseph Mithamo Wachira, who later transferred it to Peter Thinwa Ngari on 19 July 2001.
Further investigations revealed that the irregular excision and allocation of the public land was facilitated by Johnson Muriuki Ruthuthi, then Provincial Physical Planner in the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, and Wilson Gachanja, the then Commissioner of Lands.
At the time of the survey and allocation, the land had already been earmarked as Government property for police housing, making it ineligible for subdivision or allocation.
“The court’s adoption of the consent ends the protracted dispute, paving the way for the land to be utilised for its intended public purpose,” said EACC.
The Commission called on individuals in possession of, or holding title to, government landto voluntarily surrender such property to the Commission under the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) framework.
