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MPs summon Ngilu over Karen land saga

The committee was on a site visit on the grabbed land where it met developers who gave the committee their side of the story

The committee was on a site visit on the grabbed land where it met developers who gave the committee their side of the story

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu has been summoned to appear before the National Assembly Committee on Lands probing the alleged grabbing of 134 acres in Karen.

Ngilu will be required to appear before the committee next week Tuesday to furnish it with details of ownership of the controversial piece of land estimated to cost over Sh8 billion.

“She committed herself that she would be availing herself the same hour as Parliament would be, but she has not been able to do so– I don’t know whether she has grown any cold feet but I want to believe that however long it takes she still has to appear before the committee of Parliament to explain the circumstances under which this particular land that had not been subdivide for a length of time, all of a sudden has been subdivided and developments are being put in,” Committee chairman Alex Mwiru stated.

The committee was on a site visit on the grabbed land where it met developers who gave the committee their side of the story insisting that they acquired the land through due process.

A total of 14 buyers were identified and their parcels of land noted down with the committee reiterating its mission to get to the bottom of the matter, despite the fact that the matter is also being probed by the courts.

“We hear they are crying they have paid money to the government even for stamp duty –so it’s quite unfair if a government can afford to receive people’s money and not do the necessary thing that they are supposed to do as a service to the people,” Mwiru added.

Mwiru who also is the Tharaka MP directed the lawyer representing the buyers to furnish the committee with documents supporting the purchase of the pieces of land including sale agreements, evidence of payment, consent for division of the land and the amount of money they paid inclusive of other charges so as to help the committee bring the matter to a close.

He also urged those with information and especially the CORD legislators who have intimated that they have evidence of who the grabbers of the land are to submit it to them.

Last week a section of opposition legislators named top government officials and MPs as beneficiaries in the land fraud and are expected to present their evidence before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) this week.

“We need to encourage that particular Kenyan kindly to bring forward that kind of information; it helps a lot even as a committee, because that what we need—we are not pro what, wherever place we can the information as long as it’s clear information it is to our advantage, ” urged Mwiru.

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The complexity of the matter has seen two government organs differ over who is the real owner of the land with the Lands Ministry indicating Telesource owned by former NSSF Managing Trustee Jos Konzolo as the registered owner while the National Land Commission identifies Da Gama Rose as the rightful owner of the property.

And in its resolve, the committee will be meeting the National Land Commission on Tuesday to hear its argument.

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