Gachagua in Sh. 1.5 billion prime city land fight

UDA deputy presidential candidate Rigathi Gachagua is in a Sh. 1.5 billion prime city land fight. This is barely days after he announced on national television that is worth some Sh. 800 million.

Gachagua is facing off with an official from the Ministry of Lands. Through his company Wamunyoro Investments, he has filed an urgent suit at the Environment and Lands Court. The suit is seeking to stop the official from the Ministry of Land from taking over the five-acre land that is located in Embakasi.

Gachagua has accused the Director of Physical Planning at the Ministry of Lands John Michael Ohas of illegally transferring the land’s title to Columbus 2000 Limited and denying him the rights despite being the bonafide owner.

“Ohas took advantage of his position to transfer the land’s title to Columbus 2000 Limited where he is the director and deliberately tampered with the records whereby any official search indicates that Gachagua and his company are not the owners,” Gachagua told the court through his lawyer Philip Nyachoti.

He then asked the court to issue an order stopping Ohas, Columbus 2000 Ltd, and the Chief Lands Registrar from selling, sub-dividing, or interfering with the title of the disputed land pending determination of the case.

Gachagua argued that the dispute relating to the land’s ownership was determined by the National Lands Commission (NLC) in 2016 when they upheld that he and his company legally acquired the land in 2012 from the original owners.

However, Gachagua told the court, Ohas and his company have refused to hand back the land to the MP after illegally and fraudulently obtaining a second title.

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Gachagua said that he acquired the land in 2012 after purchasing it from Karandi Farm Limited and Peter Mbugua at a cost of Sh. 24 million and had the title registered in his company’s name.

He then assumed possession and used the title as security to acquire the Sh. 200 million loan, but was surprised in 2016 when Ohas filed a complaint at NLC claiming that he owned the land.

“The property is currently valued at Sh1.5 billion and was used by Mr Gachagua, through his company Wamunyoro Investments Ltd, as security to obtain a loan of Sh. 200 million from Equity Bank. Refusing to register him as the land’s owner is causing him losses,” Gachagua’s lawyer said.