Widows fight for Sh100m land

• The land is in Ruiru, Kiambu County. In their affidavit, they say the land transaction was being facilitated by Milele Ventures, a company associated with the church.
• But the land title deeds were never delivered and the parcel of land was sub-divided and advertised for sale to other buyers.
• The widows are asking the High Court in Nairobi to order the company to register the land in their names and the firm be stopped from further sub-dividing and selling it.

Two widows are locked in a Sh100 million land dispute with a firm associated with the PCEA church.

Ms Alice Wangui and Ms Agnes Wambui say they borrowed more than Sh100 million loan to buy the land but have not received title deed for it two years after purchase.

The land is in Ruiru, Kiambu County. In their affidavit, they say the land transaction was being facilitated by Milele Ventures, a company associated with the church.

But the land title deeds were never delivered and the parcel of land was sub-divided and advertised for sale to other buyers.

The widows are asking the High Court in Nairobi to order the company to register the land in their names and the firm be stopped from further sub-dividing and selling it.

But the company has denied the allegations in its reply to the suit, claiming that the application is bad in law, frivolous and that the orders being sought against them cannot be granted since the property does not exist.

“They are seeking orders against a property which no longer exists and even if it did, it originally measured 510 acres and they have not indicated whether or not they were purchasing all of the land,” said Mr Simon Mwaura, a director of the company.

He, however, concedes that they entered into an agreement with the women but blames them for not completing the transaction in stipulated time. Consequently, the company can only offer to give them a piece of the subdivided land.

Mr Mwaura does not deny signing the sale agreement with the widows and acknowledged receiving their money.

Ms Wangui said in her affidavit that the agreement was to sell her 10 acres at Sh15 million. She completed paying for it in July 2010 but Milele Ventures declined to release documents to enable her register the property in her name.

Ms Wambui claims that she borrowed Sh85 million to buy a 50-acre plot and never got the papers. The case will be mentioned on October 2.