Kibaki family sucked into tussle over Sh24m land

The First Family has been drawn into a legal duel over a Sh24 million beach plot sold to them by a developer who allegedly obtained the property fraudulently.

The developer, Mr Juma Mwamaneno, has been accused of obtaining a forged court order that enabled him to become the registered owner of the disputed property in Kwale, which he later sold to Mwalu Investments Limited, a company associated with the President Kibaki’s family and Equity Bank.

Following the allegations, the High Court in Mombasa has directed the Coast provincial criminal investigations officer be supplied with more documents to enable him investigate the origin of the court order in question.

This was after High Court judge Mohammed Ibrahim noted that an initial report submitted to him last week was not conclusive.

The judge had directed the investigations officer, Mr Nyaga Reche, to establish how Mr Mwamaneno obtained the orders issued by a Justice J.B. Wachira, which he later presented to the Kwale land registrar and transferred a disputed parcel of land into his name.

It later emerged that there is no judge by the name J.B. Wachira, which was confirmed by the chief court administrator, Mr S.M. Kibunja, who advised the parties to take appropriate action.

The land registrar in Kwale was also ordered to explain how the transaction involving the First Family and the developer was conducted after it emerged that there could have been forgery.

Sought to have him jailed

The land was initially registered in the names of Ms Naimisha Shah, who claims she was illegally divested of it by a local lands tribunal, after which she filed contempt proceedings against Mr Mwamaneo, following the court order and sought to have him jailed.

Mwalu Investments has since been stopped from dealing with the beach plot.

The case will be mentioned on November 11.