DCI Arraign Senior Lands Official, One Other Over Ksh4 Billion Scam
They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on Ksh5 million and Ksh4.5 million respectively with a surety of the same amount without the option of cash bail.
Marvin Chege 
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations' (DCI) Land Fraud arraigned two lands officials in court on Wednesday, October 25 who were charged with fraud in a Ksh4 billion land deal in Kwale County.
In a statement released by DCI on Thursday, October 26, the duo, among them the Deputy Director for Land Administration Salesio Kaburu Jacob, was arraigned at the Kwale Law Courts.
Kaburu was reported to be implicated in the Ksh4 billion land tussle between the county government of Kwale and Lunga Lunga Ranching Company Ltd.
Kaburu and Kamathi when they appeared in court in Kwale on October 25, 2023. /DCI
"The arrest and subsequent arraignment of the Ardhi House-based administrator followed painstaking investigations conducted after Kwale County's Physical Planner complained that suspected grabbers had forged a notification of approval PPA2 for the extension of lease of a parcel of land LR No. 14211.
"The 63030.0-hectare piece of land had initially been registered under Lunga Lunga Ranching Company Ltd but upon misuse of the ranch, the National Land Commission (NLC) in its 2019 determination reverted the ranch ownership to Kwale County Govt, for settlement of squatters and the communities within the area, establishment of public utilities and development purposes," stated the DCI in part.
The investigative agency added that in-depth investigations launched on March 11, 2023, established that some cartels based at Ardhi House, Nairobi jointly with several notorious brokers some of whom are still on the loose had fraudulently surveyed the land.
Furthermore, the cartels forged a planning brief and the PPA2 to initiate the illegal extension and indeed secured a new grant.
After investigations, a comprehensive case file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for perusal and guidance, facts whose threshold merited the recommendation that charges be preferred against the perpetrators.
In compliance, Kaburu and Frankline Kamau Kamathi (a city land broker) were arrested on Tuesday, October 24 and processed accordingly.
"On Oct 25, the duo was arraigned at Kwale Law Courts charged with 16 counts of conspiracy to defraud, forgeries and the making of false documents," added the DCI.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on Ksh5 million and Ksh4.5 million respectively with a surety of the same amount without the option of cash bail. The case will be mentioned on November 9, 2023.
The land in question is part of Lunga Lunga Ranching which is said to have deposits of rare minerals.
