EACC Recovers KSh51 Million KCAA Land in Nyali After 17-Year Legal Battle

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has secured the return of a 0.514-acre parcel belonging to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority in Nyali, Mombasa, with an assessed value of KSh51 million, concluding a dispute that stretched over 17 years.

The land, recorded as MN/I/2411, was handed back to the state after an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) settlement reached on September 21, 2026, in which the registered owner, Omar Tahir, consented to surrender the property.

EACC investigations determined that the parcel had been irregularly allocated in 2000 by the then Commissioner of Lands, Sammy Mwaita, to former Kuresoi Constituency Member of Parliament Zakayo Kipkemboi Cheruiyot, who subsequently transferred it to Tahir.

Civil proceedings were filed in 2009 under ELC Case No. 177 of 2009 before the Mombasa Environment and Land Court, naming Cheruiyot, Tahir and Mwaita as respondents; the ADR agreement ended the case without a full trial verdict after 17 years of court activity.

In a statement dated October 8, 2026, the commission said the settlement restored the land to public ownership for the purpose for which it was originally intended and underscored the public interest served by the outcome.

The commission also called on individuals who hold public assets obtained through illegal or irregular means to voluntarily return such property, noting that negotiated settlements can avoid lengthy litigation and the associated costs.

This recovery is part of the commission’s wider mandate to trace and reclaim public assets lost to corrupt practices, following a previous retrieval of 1.73 acres at Moi International Airport valued at KSh104 million in July 2025 and ongoing efforts to recover 12 additional parcels estimated at more than KSh2.5 billion.