Former magistrate Charles Nyamweya arrested after two week on the run

Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers on July 23, 2016 arrested a former magistrate Charles Nyamweya in Nakuru after he went underground for two weeks running away from a case in which he is accused of land fraud. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Nyamweya, now a lawyer practicing in Eldoret, is accused of obtaining Sh2.5 million as a deposit in a fake land deal involving Sh25 million.
  • According to the prosecution, the lawyer obtained the money pretending to be in a position to sell 100 acres of land.
  • He is accused of forging a title deed in the name of former Eastern Provincial Commissioner Ishmael Chelang’a that he used to claim ownership of the land.

Police in Nakuru have arrested a former Eldoret based magistrate linked to a Sh2.5 million fraud in a Sh25 million land deal.

County Directorate of Criminal Investigations officer Henry Kiambati who confirmed the arrest said the suspect will be interrogated before being charged in court on Monday.

"The suspect who has been on the run for more than two weeks was arrested on Saturday evening and is recording a statement with the police," said Mr Kiambati.

Two weeks ago, a Nakuru court issued a warrant of arrest against the former magistrate Charles Nyamweya after he failed to show up in court to answer to the fraud charges.

Mr Nyamweya, now a lawyer practicing in Eldoret, is accused of obtaining Sh2.5 million as a deposit in a fake land deal involving Sh25 million.

According to the prosecution, the lawyer obtained the amount purporting to be in a position to sell 100 acres of non-existent land.

Details in court by the prosecution indicate that the lawyer negotiated with potential buyers of the land and reached an agreement to sell an acre of the land for Sh250, 000.

However, the potential buyers realised that the land never existed and that they had been duped.

Detectives had tracked him down and arrested him only to release him on a Sh100,00 police bond.

Upon being released, he went underground and police have been tracking him for two weeks.

Nakuru chief magistrate David Kemei had directed that the Sh100, 000 police bond he was granted earlier to be forfeited to the State.

He is accused of forging a title deed in the name of former Eastern Provincial Commissioner Ishmael Chelang’a that he used to claim ownership of the expansive parcel of land belonging to the late administrator.

The former PC died in a helicopter crash in Marsabit on July 27, 1996.

Police revealed in court that it is after a search at the Ministry of Lands when they discovered the land he wanted to sell was part of the expansive Kiptagich Tea Estate belonging to the retired president Moi

(Editing by Joel Muinde)