Officials paid nine times more for cemetery land in Mavoko

Former senior government officials and other players stole Sh173 million in the Sh283 million cemetery land fraud, a top Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission investigator told a court Wednesday.

Mr Tabu Lwanga disclosed that the land in Athi River within Mavoko Municipality is valued at Sh30 million.

“The Kenyan taxpayer lost Sh253 million in the cemetery land deal whose true value is Sh30 million,” said Mr Lwanga when he gave evidence in the case against former Local Government Permanent Secretary Sammy Kipng’etich Kirui and former Town Clerk John Gakuo.

Mr Lwanga said investigations revealed that only Sh110 million was spent on the land and Sh173 million was stolen by various players in the land transaction.

He said the loss represented 61 per cent of the money stolen by those involved in the transaction as opposed to 10 per cent, which is usually demanded by those who bid for various deals with the government.

Mr Lwanga said some of the accused persons received a cut of Sh13 million and “acknowledged receipt of the same and it’s documented”.

That piece of evidence elicited a protest from a defence lawyer, Mr Wilfred Nderitu, who demanded to be shown the original document where the accused persons acknowledged receipt of the proceeds.

Mr Kirui, Mr Gakuo, former director of legal services in the defunct city council of Nairobi, Ms Mary Ng’ethe, and a director of the tender committee have been charged with abuse of office, wilful neglect of official duty, giving false documents and presentation of misleading documents.

The witness, who was led in his evidence, by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Edwin Okero said the land sold to the defunct council by Naen Rach Limited was stony and could not be used as a cemetery.

Hearing continues.