Counties

Oburu among top losers as EACC seizes Sh1.7bn assets

oburu

East African Legislative Assembly member Oburu Odinga. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered land and assets worth Sh1.69 billion in the western region.

The assets recovered through court proceedings and out-of-court settlements include mostly prime land that belongs to Kenya Railways Corporation, public utilities, the Judiciary and county governments, which prominent individuals had grabbed.

The parcels the EACC recovered include Sh454 million in 11 assets belonging to the Kenya Railways in Kisumu.

The land includes Kisumu Municipality Block 7/509 measuring 0.14 hectares, which was irregularly allocated on February 12, 2001, to Opposition chief Raila Odinga’s elder brother and East African Legislative Assembly member Oburu Oginga.

The High Court on July 26 cancelled a title deed of the land that had been awarded to Dr Oburu following a successful suit the EACC lodged.

In 2014, Dr Oginga had filed a petition challenging the cancellation, which the court dismissed for lack of merit.

The EALA MP lost a long-drawn court battle to keep the land valued at Sh35 million after Kisumu High Court Judge Stephen Kibunja, in a landmark ruling on Friday, dismissed his application filed in 2017 seeking to have the EACC suit that challenged his ownership of the land thrown out.

The EACC filed suit against Dr Oburu in March 2010 as part of a series of cases related to land within Kisumu Municipality Block 7 that was irregularly subdivided and allocated to private individuals. The land belongs to the Kenya Railways.

The court also gave orders for permanent injunction restraining Dr Oburu and any of his agents from transferring, charging or taking possession or developing the land in question.

The anti-graft agency also recovered another parcel of land valued at Sh30 million from Kendeep Construction Company, belonging to Kenya Railways.

Kisumu Municipality Block 7/455 also valued at Sh30million was also allocated to Kendeep without the knowledge or consent of Railways.

According to George Oira, EACC western regional office, they also successful seized two grabbed parcels of land worth Sh830 million belonging to the Judiciary in Kisumu.

“The process of recovering these plots has been long but we are happy we have some progress even as we seek others,” he said.