Police own disputed land in Langata, PS Korir says
State Department for Lands and Physical Planning Principal Secretary nominee Nixon.
The Ministry of Lands now says the National Police Service (NPS) is the rightful owner of a multi-billion shillings parcel of land that is being claimed by a women's group in Langata Constituency, Nairobi.
Principal Secretary Nixon Korir told the National Assembly’s Lands Committee that LR. No. 209/10610, measuring 28.66 hectares belongs to the National Police Service and not the over 700 members of Wilson Mutumba Women Group.
Mr Korir told the committee chaired by North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko that the government had appealed a judgment by the High Court, which ruled in favour of Wilson Mutumba Women Group.
He said the parcel of land was allocated to the Permanent Secretary to the National Treasury through a letter of allotment Ref: 209163/XI dated April 28, 2010.
Mr Korir said the title deed to the land is being held by the Treasury Principal Secretary, who is the trustee of government property or land.
“This parcel of land was allocated to the Permanent Secretary to the National Treasury through a letter of allotment Ref: 209163/XI dated April 28, 2010,” Mr Korir said.
“The grant to this property (LR. No. 209/10610) was processed as Grant IR NO.129371 on April 21, 2011. The land has neither changed ownership nor undergone subdivision since.”
Mr Korir said the property, which houses posh police housing units at West Park Police Lines in Nairobi’s South C estate, has been the subject of court cases, both criminal and civil.
“Currently, LR. No 209/10610 (IR. NO. 129371 is occupied by the National Police Service,” Mr Korir said during a meeting with the committee on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
“There is massive development on the ground comprising of approximately 600 residential units occupied by government officers.”
The committee had invited Mr Korir to shed light on the history and ownership of LR. No 209/14582 and the bona fide owners of the same parcel of land.
The committee is probing a public petition filed by Wilson Mutumba Women Group through Kiambaa MP Njuguna Kawanjiko.
Mr Korir told the committee that whereas it requested information on LR. No 209/14582, records held by the State Department for Lands confirms that the land is LR. No 209/10610.
He said LR. No 209/10610 is situated in the City County of Nairobi Area containing, by measurement, approximately 28.66 hectares.
Mr Korir, who tabled a copy of the allotment letter and the title deed, said the land is held on a leasehold term of 99 years with effect from May 1, 2010, and delineated by Land Survey plan number 321073.
“Honourable chairman, LR. No.209/10610 (West Park Police Line, Langata) was gazetted as a protected area vide legal notice No.195 of November 2016,” Mr Korir said.
“The property has been a subject of court cases both criminal and civil. We are aware that the trustees of Wilson Mutumba Women Group were charged in criminal case number 1738/2008,” Mr Korir said.
He said there is an ongoing Environment and Land Court Application number 673/2008 pitying the women group and the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General.
“The High Court ruled in favour of Wilson Mutumba Women Group,” Mr Korir said.
“The government was dissatisfied with the judgement of the court and made an appeal which is pending determination.”
He said the government appealed because of the irregularities and the inconsistencies contained in the documents held by Wilson Mutumba Women Group.
Mr Korir said the Wilson Mutumba Women Group lacks the juridical status to own property in its name as it was registered under the Ministry of Culture and Social Services.
He said the group could only own the suit land through trustees and or any appointed officials to hold in trust for the group.
“The group, Wilson Mutumba Women Group, was registered in 2005 and could not own property in 1990 when it was not in existence,” Mr Korir said.
“The deed plan number 17741 dated October 26, 1988 that the group claims, is for LR. No. 6585/610, a property situated in Nyahururu Town, Laikipia County and not in Nairobi. Attached are copies of the deed plans.”
Mr Korir said the Wilson Mutumba Women Group’s IR. No. 54588 was Grant for LR. No.209/33895/25 issued on December 31, 1991, to Wangui Gitau Mwangi.
He clarified that LR. No. 209/14582 is a parcel at the Southern Bypass measuring 0.2375 hectares with land Survey Plan Number 430923 as surveyed in Survey Plan FR/NO 311/63 in 2001.
West Park Police Lines is a residential housing project for police officers located in Langata, Nairobi, and is part of the National Police Service (NPS) West Park Housing Project.
Mr Nyamoko directed Mr Korir to furnish the committee with additional documentation and respond to glaring questions raised by MPs at a subsequent meeting slated for April 15, 2025.