The Government has taken possession of a prime parcel of land worth Sh 35 million, which was grabbed next to the Bungoma State Lodge in the Milimani area of Bungoma Town, following a successful recovery by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Bungoma County Commissioner Thomas Sankei confirmed on Thursday that the government has moved to enforce the eviction orders issued by the Bungoma Environment and Land Court, requiring the grabber to vacate the property.
The ownership of the property measuring about half an acre has now reverted to the Ministry of State Department for Housing and Urban Development.
The private developer was evicted on Tuesday following the expiry of the time she had been given to vacate and surrender the property back to the public.
Civil society organisation leaders led by Emmanuel Were applauded the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for its relentless efforts to recover public property that had been illegally acquired by private individuals.
“I commend the work of the EACC for recovering the grabbed house worth Sh50 million back to the government,”Were said.
He noted that land grabbing in Bungoma, especially in the Milimani area, has become rampant with private developers illegally settling on public land meant for government projects.
“Milimani estate in Bungoma town is public land. We wonder how some people managed to secure title deeds for pieces of land there. We ask EACC to launch more investigations and evict all those who have illegally occupied government land,” he added.
Were said the ruling was a strong message to individuals who use their influence and connections to take over public properties for personal gain.
He further urged the commission not to relent in its pursuit of justice and recovery of stolen public assets, saying the public is fully behind its efforts.
The human rights defender warned that if the evictee defies the court orders and fails to vacate the property, civil society groups will take it upon themselves to push for the implementation of the court ruling.
