On July 3, 2001, former Commissioner of Lands Sammy Mwaita allocated KCAA plots L.R No.9187 and L.R No.9188 through letter reference No.51776/XVI. KCAA paid Sh3,530 through cheque No.005174.
Before the construction of DP Ruto’s Weston Hotel, the land was home to the KCAA’s central stores where equipment and spares were kept.
The State agency was then tricked into surrendering the land where Deputy President William Ruto built Weston Hotel.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) was given alternative parcels of land that turned out to belong to another State agency which was Meteorological Department.
The plot had been earmarked by the authority for the construction of its headquarters.
During a public hearing on the matter, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the land adjacent to Wilson Airport was illegally handed to a private developer.
According to documents before the commission, the transfer of this land from public to private utility took effect on August 30, 2002 when it was allocated to Priority Limited just months to that year’s general election.
In January 2003, the then PS for transport and communication, Sammy Kyungu, wrote to the then Lands PS Francis Baya noting that public land had been fenced off by a private developer.
The letter to Baya, Kyungu said: “ I want to further reiterate the earlier position of this Ministry, that the said plot is not available and is among the very important inventory of assets which the Government is expected to transfer to the KCAA and should not be allocated to any other party,”.
According to the letter, the PS wanted the government plot safeguarded since it had attracted a lot of interest among private developers.
The commission will decide whether or not the current title deed that gives ownership to Weston Hotel Ltd should be revoked.
Deputy President William Ruto will know the fate of Weston Hotel by February next year when the National Land Commission completes investigating claims that the land on which it stands was illegally acquired.