A case involving former Kajiado Land Registrar Jonathan Kimutai Koskei and his alleged accomplice Victor Baraza Odhiambo is currently being heard at the Milimani Law Courts, where they face charges of land fraud.
During the proceedings, presided over by Magistrate Lucas Onyina, the complainant, represented by attorney Gregory Ndege, provided testimony regarding the situation.
Koskei is accused of colluding with Odhiambo to defraud Luiza Chepkesio, a business partner, out of a parcel of land. The court learned that Luiza and Koskei, who was serving as the land registrar at the Kajiado County Land Registry at the time, established a company named Hadiko Company Limited on December 2, 2011.
Prior to this registration, they had entered into an agreement to purchase a specific piece of land, LR Kajiado Kitengela/300, situated in Milimani, Kitengela. Koskei had informed Luiza about a land sale opportunity from the vendors’ employer, and after inspecting the property, they agreed on a purchase price of KSh 1,050,000, formalizing their agreement with a sale contract on June 7, 2011. Payments were made, and transfer documents were prepared in favor of Hadiko Company Limited. The court was told that after acquiring the land, the two directors intended to build maisonettes for resale, developing architectural plans and securing approval from the Kajiado County Council.
Construction began, and a caretaker was already living on the site, whom Luiza introduced to Koskei as her business partner. They would occasionally visit the site together to monitor progress, but Koskei eventually ceased his visits even before the foundation was completed. In mid-2016, Luiza received a call from the caretaker, who informed her that Garam Investments had issued a notice to vacate the property, claiming it had been used as collateral for a KSh 13 million loan taken out by Koskei at I&M Bank. When Luiza reached out to Koskei about the notice, he denied any knowledge of the loan.
