Detectives from Nairobi Area have written to City Halls lands department probing ownership of a controversial piece of land in Parklands area.
A City Businessman told Police he lost Sh 7.4 million when he was told to contribute cash towards the processing of the title deed.
The land in question is registered as LR 209/4593/5 Parklands Road -Westland’s, opposite the Parklands Police Station and behind the MP Shah Hospital.
It measures 0.45600 hectares.
The businessman, Daniel Kimani said Governor Mike Sonko’s Economic Advisor Githende Gachanja and his Personal Assistant Daniel Mwangi Gatambo swindled him of the cash in 2019.
According to documents, the land was initially allocated to Alex Caetang Lactancio De Sousa in 1954 for a lease of 48 years and 8 months.
Kimani told detectives at Nairobi Area that Gachanja informed him that a Mr Lactancio died and left his cook behind who took over the land.
He said he was told the cook was unable to renew the lease and process the title, so the land reverted to the County Government.
Kimani said after the lease expired, he was approached by Gachanja and Gatambo to facilitate the renewal of the lease and change of title to one of the Companies associated with Gachanja.
He said they agreed that once they have a title, they will be able to sell the land, share the cash where Kimani was to get shs 15 million.
This was to translate into shs 8 million profits for Kimani.
“I was told that the MP Shah Hospital wants to buy the land to use it as a parking lot. Gachanja took me to his office at City Hall and told me to give him the money to facilitate the transactions,” he told detectives.
Other documents show that the Nairobi City County Planning Technical committee met on 04/04/2019 under minute 6 item 3 that recommended approval for lease renewal to the National Land Commission.
The letter is signed by Director Development Management D. Mutegi and addressed to Silas Mbabu Gichuru whom the letter did not specify his title.
“After I gave out the cash, I latter realized that the documents I was shown were fake. I realized I had been duped. I demanded my money back and Gachanja has been lying to me,” he told the police.
Through lawyer Njoroge O Kimani and Company advocates, Gachanja and Gatambo agreed to pay him his money on 12th June 2019.
However, since then, he said he has not been paid back his money.
When reached for comment, Githende Gachanja did not respond.
However, his Personal Assistant Daniel Mwangi Gatambo said “It’s just that it has delayed but deal is genuine,”.
Mwangi also blamed Kimani for giving part of the money to “strangers” from City Halls lands department instead of taking the cash to Gachanja.
“Because we were the ones who oversaw the deal, we agreed to compensate him his lost cash. But some money was given to one Kevin and Oluoch who bought flashy cars,” Gatambo said.
Gatambo showed us a copy of a lease he said they had obtained from the ministry of lands.
The lease has been given to one Peter Muange Kimuyu, LR NO 209/4593/5 deed plan number 402577 measuring approximately 0.1847 hectares for 99 years.
He said the lease was issued last week but a closer scrutiny showed it was issued on 1st September 2003.
“The lease is out. It is a very sensitive document but will share with you. The Title should be out today (Tuesday 22 September 2020). Kimani will get his cash in 2 months and he should be patient,” Gatambo said.
Kimani told Journalists that Gachanja carried out the transactions secretly and that occasionally – he was worried that Governor Mike Sonko may get to know and burst him.
“It was covert. He told me Sonko should not know because at that time, Sonko was fighting to weed out cartels from City Hall,” he said.
Detective’s privy to investigations said they will hasten the probe.
Githende Gachanja is also reportedly the proprietor of Bins – a garbage collection firm that does business with City Hall.
Kimani also told Police that he had received death threats from Gatambo over the land saga.
He reported the matter to Kilimani Police.
