NAIROBI, Kenya — Two suspects have been convicted in separate land fraud cases involving forged ownership documents and fraudulent land transactions in Ruiru and Ngong, in judgments delivered by the Milimani Law Courts.
In the first case, 72-year-old Teresia Wanjiku Wainaina was convicted on multiple counts of forgery, uttering false documents and forcible detainer following investigations into the fraudulent acquisition of land parcels in Ruiru East, Kiambu County.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the disputed parcels belonged to genuine landowners who had been allocated the properties by Nyakinyua Investment Company Limited.
The case arose from a complaint filed by advocates acting for ten complainants, who alleged that their parcels had been unlawfully occupied and fenced off by the accused, who later presented documents purporting to prove ownership.
Investigators established that Wainaina had allegedly forged title deeds and green cards relating to three parcels of land before presenting the documents as genuine during investigations.
Given the scale of the alleged fraud, which involved more than 40 charges, the court directed that the matter be split into three separate case files to allow the accused to adequately respond to the charges. The remaining cases are still pending before the court.
A forensic document examiner testified that signatures and documents relied upon by the accused were not authentic and had been created by someone other than the legitimate Land Registry signatories.
The prosecution also presented evidence from landowners who traced ownership of the parcels to allocations made by Nyakinyua Investment Company Limited, supported by share certificates and payment receipts dating back several years.
Delivering judgment, Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego found Wainaina guilty on all 13 counts before the court and imposed fines ranging between Sh20,000 and Sh30,000 for each count. In default of payment, she will serve custodial sentences of between one and two years.
Separate Conviction Over Ngong Land Fraud
In a separate case, Reuben Yegon was convicted on five counts of fraud after illegally selling land created through what investigators described as a fraudulent subdivision, causing a couple to lose Sh1.9 million.
The judgment, also delivered by Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego on August 4, found Yegon guilty of obtaining money by false pretences, obtaining land registration by false pretences, forgery, making a false document and uttering a false document.
The court sentenced him to a cumulative fine of Sh210,000, with an alternative sentence of two years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently if the fines are not paid.
According to investigators, the accused sold land parcel Ngong/Ngong/9748 to a couple for Sh1.9 million, after which they were issued with a title deed in January 2021.
The fraud came to light when another individual later emerged claiming ownership of the property, prompting the buyers to report the matter to authorities.
Investigations established that the parcel had originated from a fraudulent subdivision of the original Ngong/Ngong/1212, whose ownership remained with the complainant who challenged the transaction.
Following completion of investigations, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved criminal charges. Yegon was arraigned in court on November 15, 2022 before eventually being convicted on all counts.
The DCI said the convictions underscore its commitment to combating land fraud and protecting property rights, while commending investigators, forensic document examiners and prosecutors for their role in securing the convictions.
