The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has successfully recovered public land worth over KSh 400 million in Nairobi’s Loresho area following a landmark judgment by the Environment and Land Court.
The disputed parcel, known as NAIROBI BLOCK 90/229 and measuring 4.9 acres, is part of the Loresho Water Reservoir that had been illegally subdivided and allocated to private developers in 1995.
The land had been reserved for the expansion of a public water reservoir.
In a judgment delivered on May 19, 2025, Justice Ogutu Mboya ruled that the land was not available for allocation to private entities, declaring all titles issued from the illegal subdivision null and void.
The case was initiated in 2021 after a complaint by the Loresho Residents Association, which raised concerns over a planned shopping mall on the public land.
EACC investigations revealed that the land had been split into multiple plots and allocated to individuals and companies including Mitema Holdings Ltd, Maywood Ltd, Nova Construction Ltd, and several private individuals.
The properties changed hands multiple times, eventually being consolidated under new ownership.
Among the key figures named in the illegal allocation are Leonard Onyancha and his wife Careen Onyancha, as well as former Deputy Mayor Ali Mwanzi and others. The Commission established that the land had been grabbed and transferred through fraudulent means.
EACC sought the cancellation of all fraudulent titles and secured an injunction in June 2022 preventing further transactions pending the court’s ruling.
During the trial, ten witnesses from various government departments, including the Nairobi County Government, the Department of Physical Planning, and Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company, testified in support of the Commission’s case.
