Details have emerged that retired President Daniel Arap Moi’s nephew Gideon Toroitich, together with former powerful Cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae dished out land belonging to the state-owned Agricultural Development Corporation in unclear circumstances.
The land is in Magarini constituency in Kilifi county.
A document tabled before a House committee on Tuesday said Nyachae was among 125 individuals and companies who benefitted from the large tracts of land.
The property is being claimed by residents, a matter that has attracted the attention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
From the documents tabled by Agriculture CAS Andrew Tumuir, it appears that powerful individuals who served in Moi’s government dominate the list of people who allocated the prime land.
They were allocated the land at the expense of residents who literally have become squatters.
According to the documents, Nyachae bought 17.815 acres in 2006 at Sh343,000 despite the land, according to ADC, not being on sale.
Gideon is said to be former Managing Director of the Agricultural Finance Corporation and had relations with Moi’s family.
Former Moi ally and powerful politician Ezekiel Barng’etuny was allocated 14 acres in 1995 for Sh288,000.
Among the big names that benefitted from the illegal transations were former minister Katana Ngala, late former Cabinet ministers Kipkalya Kones, former Egerton University vice chancellor James Tuitoek Francis, Kiprui Sang, former assistant minister Abubakary Badawy, former MP Jonathan Katana Nzai and Kanu nominated senator in the 11th Parliament Ziporah Kitony.
The National Assembly’s Lands Committee heard that land sales to powerful and well-connected politicians from 1994 to 2006 was never sanctioned by the ADC board.
This happened despite another corporation’s subsidiary company – Lands Limited – defying the board and selling the property.
ADC is among the state parastatals run by board members.
The Agriculture Cabinet Administrative Secretary Andrew Tuimur admitted that the corporation’s board did not approve the arbitrary allocation of the land to third parties. He appealed MPs to help ADC recover the land in private hands.