Former Nairobi PC Davis Nathan Chelogoi Convicted in KSh1.35 Billion Land Fraud

On Friday October 16, 2026 Milimani Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego convicted former Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Davis Nathan Chelogoi of fraudulently acquiring a KSh1.35 billion parcel of land in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.

The magistrate found Chelogoi guilty on five counts – conspiracy to defraud, forcible detainer, forgery, uttering false documents and a fifth count – and said documents used to support his title, including a land registrar’s signature and stamp, were outright forgeries.

The disputed property is a 7.39-hectare parcel identified as LR No. 18485, valued at KSh1.35 billion, claimed by businessmen Ashok Rupshi Shah and Hitenkumar Amritlal Raja.

The complainants testified that they purchased the land from Liney Company Limited in January 2007 for around KSh32-33 million and that their ownership had been affirmed by an Environment and Land Court judgment in July 2022 and upheld by the Court of Appeal.

The prosecution called 19 witnesses, mainly from the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, as well as surveyors and forensic document examiners, whose testimony undermined Chelogoi’s claim.

Land registrar Pauline Achieng Pesa testified that her signature and stamp on the documents were not genuine, and the court noted that a registry file relied upon did not correspond to the disputed parcel.

Chelogoi’s co-accused, former Assistant Deputy Director of Lands Administration Andrew Aseri Kirungu, was acquitted after the magistrate ruled that the prosecution had not established his criminal culpability.

The magistrate ordered Chelogoi to be remanded in custody pending mitigation and sentencing scheduled for November 2, 2026 and directed the Chief Land Registrar to cancel any parallel title deeds and registration details issued over the property.

She said she had received letters from Chelogoi addressed to her personally, including copies sent to her employer, and described the letters as intimidation; she also noted that repeated applications by the former commissioner had delayed the judgment for nearly a year.

Earlier High Court Judge Alexander Muteti dismissed Chelogoi’s revision application, refusing to transfer the case to another magistrate or halt the criminal proceedings, allowing the trial court to proceed to its logical conclusion.