The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) aims to recover property worth billions from grabbers in Mombasa.

The commission announced on Tuesday that it is pursuing over 130 court lawsuits to reclaim seized public properties worth around Ksh.10 billion in the coastal region.

PHOTO | COURTESY EACC

According to the commission's CEO, Twalib Mbarak, they have successfully recovered several properties in Mombasa through litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including the Hobley Estate in the Buxton area, next to the Affordable Housing Project in Mombasa.

The property is worth Ksh. 500 million and is now occupied by County Government employees.

Six government residences belonging to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and one belonging to the Ministry of Housing, all in the Nyali/Bamburi Estate, have also been recovered, totaling Ksh.420 million.

PHOTO | COURTESY EACC building

On September 9, 2021, the Coast Water Works Development Agency filed a complaint with the EACC, saying that private organizations, in collaboration with public authorities, had taken public land belonging to the Agency.

The anti-corruption bureau determined that the assets had really been seized and titles issued to various private individuals and corporations. Some beneficiaries sold the land to third parties, who then charged it to banks for exorbitant money.

The illegal allocation involves the formation of three parcels totaling Ksh.365,000,000 in market value.

 EACC has launched three recovery proceedings in Mombasa's Environment and Land Court, aiming to have private individuals' titles invalidated.

PHOTO | COURTESY EACC

As the lawsuit continues, the court has issued orders banning the defendants from making any changes to the property.

Land belonging to Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) that was set aside for the expansion of the Moi International Airport worth Ksh.2.5 billion; government houses for civil servants belonging to KRA valued at Ksh.358.5 million; and five parcels of land stolen from Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) worth Ksh.150 million are among the notable cases in court where EACC seeks to nullify the titles held by grabbers.

The commission also seeks to recover a road reserve worth Ksh. 21 million removed from Machakos Road in Mombasa, as well as a property parcel worth more than Ksh.100 million stolen from the Postal Corporation of Kenya in Mombasa by a senior county official.