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Parliamentary Committee summons EACC, Lands CS over Tatu City project

Residents of Kiambu County who own a huge chunk of shares in the multi-million project through Kiambu Town MP Jude Njomo petitioned the Rachel Nyamai (Kitui South) led-committee to have foreign shareholders thrown out for allegedly defrauding them off their land/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 17 – Top Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) officials and Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney have been summoned by a Parliamentary committee over the multi-billion shillings Tatu City estate project.

The National Assembly Lands Committee has also dispatched invites to three major shareholders of the project Stephen Mwagiru, Bidco CEO Vimal Shah and ex Central Bank Governor Nahashon Nyaga to shed light on the matter that is threatening to jeopardize the massive project.

Attorney General Paula Kihara and Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto have also been called to appear before the committee to explain their role in the row pitting the shareholders of the project.

“Officials from the Lands Ministry and EACC, alongside the three directors will help us get to the bottom of this matter. This committee will summon them so that they tell us what they know,” said the chairperson of the committee Racheal Nyamai during a meeting with the petitioners Tuesday.

Residents of Kiambu County who own a huge chunk of shares in the multi-million project through Kiambu Town MP Jude Njomo petitioned the Rachel Nyamai (Kitui South) led committee to have foreign shareholders thrown out for allegedly defrauding them off their land.

The locals claim that they were hoodwinked by the investors into selling their pieces of land at a throw away price.

The petitioners’ spokesperson Winfred Gitonga said that foreign shareholders had assumed the sole control of the companies and were busy selling the land and repatriating the money out of the country to their offshore accounts.

She said the foreign investors had neglected the plight of the local shareholders including the community which had initially invested in acquiring shares in the two companies.

The petitioners want Parliament to intervene and help Tatu City local shareholders most of whom are peasant farmers from being robbed off from their hard-earned investment.

In 2016 a multi-agency taskforce comprising of representatives from Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Directorate of Criminal Investigation, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions amongst others was formed to investigate Tatu City issue, but the report of its findings is yet to be made public or made available to genuine owners’ of the land.

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