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Following a successful petition in court, EACC engaged in negotiations with the defendants, leading to the surrender of ownership documents.
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EACC is now in the process of transferring the land back to the county.
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The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has successfully reclaimed 12 parcels of public land in Nyahururu.
The parcels had allegedly been irregularly hived off from land set aside for expansion of a bus park in Nyahururu Town.
The parcels of land, EACC said, cumulatively measure 2.5 acres and have a current market value of approximately Sh110 million.
According to the commission, the lands had been allocated to private individuals.
The individuals had commenced commercial developments including the construction of a mega shopping mall when EACC moved in.
The investigation into the incident began in February 2022 after concerned traders lodged a complaint with EACC's Central Regional Office in Nyeri.
“The traders reported that land reserved for extension of Nyahururu Bus Park had been wrongfully, illegally and unlawfully allocated to private developers who had commenced construction of commercial building and were evicting the traders,” EACC spokesman Eric Ngumbi said Friday.
In response, EACC initiated legal action against 13 individuals, including a former lands official, filing two recovery suits at the Nyahururu Environment and Land Court.
Details shared by the agency show that each of the portions was valued at Sh9.2 million.
Following a successful petition in court, EACC engaged in negotiations with the defendants, leading to the surrender of ownership documents.
EACC is now in the process of transferring the land back to the county.
“The Commission has written to the Land Registrar to rectify the land Register by cancelling all entries relating to the defendants and issue new titles in the name of Laikipia County government, as ordered by the Court,” Ngumbi said.
At the same time, Ngumbi revealed that the commission is pursuing 10 other recovery suits in the Nyahururu Court, aimed at recovering more government land and properties in the area.
Among them, he said, is the land worth Sh200 million established in 1946 to support potato farmers through subsidized hire of plant and tractor services.