MP defends allocating land to his brother

Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita has defended allocating public land to his brother when he was Lands Commissioner.

Mr Mwaita on Wednesday told the High Court in Nakuru that he was not wrong in alienating government land to Mr Hillary Kipkorir Mwaita.

“I alienated two plots of land in Nakuru to my brother just as I would have done to any other Kenyan in need of such services,” he said.

RESTRAINING ORDERS

Defending himself in corruption case against him and his brother, the MP added that did not feel obliged to treat his brother specially.

He told Lady Justice Roselyn Wendoh that the process of alienating the plots in Nakuru town had started before he was appointed Lands Commissioner in 1999.

The land was open to alienation and his brother applied to have it converted into leasehold, he told the court.

“The land had been set aside for the surveys department but it was free for allocation because it had not been gazetted as a State reserve.”

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission has sued him and his brother for alienating government land.

The commission sought orders to restrain Mr Kipkorir from transferring, taking over, developing or interfering with the two plots until the case is heard and determined.

The agency stated that the property was government land which had been reserved and developed for use by the department of survey as a camp.

The commission said the government had built a house and a parking yard on the land for the department. The case resumes on March 14.