MOMBASA, Kenya – The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has reclaimed a 1.73-acre parcel of public land in Mombasa valued at Sh104 million, marking a significant legal victory in its push to recover illegally acquired public assets.
The land, part of Moi International Airport’s reserved area, had been irregularly allocated to a former government official and later transferred to a private entity, Academy Properties Ltd.
The Environment and Land Court in Mombasa ruled on July 23, 2025, that the land—identified as parcel MN/VI/3748—was never legally available for private ownership.
Justice Stephen Kibunja declared the initial allocation to Agil Mahmud, then Provincial Physical Planner, illegal and void, and directed the revocation of the title deed currently held by Academy Properties.
EACC Recovers KES 104 Million Public Land Belonging to Kenya Airports Authority The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has successfully recovered public land valued at KES 104 million in Mombasa, which had been illegally acquired by a former government official. The
Investigations by the EACC revealed that the land had been carved out of a larger 538.76-acre parcel reserved for use by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), without a valid Physical Development Plan (PDP), proper application, or payment of requisite statutory fees.
The parcel was part of a controversial transaction facilitated with the help of former Commissioner of Lands Wilson Gacanja, who was also named in the suit filed by the EACC—then operating under the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC)—in 2009.
“This recovery affirms our commitment to protecting public resources from land grabbing and illegal allocations,” the EACC said in a statement.
The Commission added that 12 additional parcels of land, also part of Moi International Airport and cumulatively valued at over Sh2.5 billion, remain subjects of ongoing court proceedings.
If successful, the pending cases could result in one of the largest land recoveries from private hands involving strategic transport infrastructure in Kenya.
