A former Principal Land Registrar in Kilifi has been ordered by the High Court to surrender assets worth Ksh426.85 million to the Government of Kenya after failing to adequately explain the source of his wealth.
The forfeiture follows a case filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which raised concerns over a significant gap between the former official's known legitimate income and the value of assets held by him, his wife and companies linked to the family.
In a statement issued on Friday, September 25, EACC said the High Court in Nairobi issued the forfeiture orders in a judgment delivered on September 18.
The commission stated that the court ordered the forfeiture of assets valued at Ksh426,851,982.04 belonging to the former Kilifi land registrar, his wife and companies associated with the family.
According to court documents, the assets include Ksh233.58 million held in bank and mobile money accounts, 11 properties valued at approximately Ksh177.11 million, as well as motor vehicles worth nearly Ksh11.9 million.
The properties are spread across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Thika. They include a hotel, an apartment building, a penthouse and several parcels of land.
EACC said its investigations examined the family's acquisition of assets and financial transactions conducted between January 2013 and March 2024.
During the investigations, the commission identified assets and transactions with a combined value of Ksh771.89 million.
The amount consisted of more than Ksh467.76 million transferred through bank accounts and mobile money platforms, land and other properties valued at Ksh287.51 million, vehicles worth Ksh20.06 million and Ksh4.26 million in cash recovered during a search.
The former official and the other defendants were able to explain the source of assets valued at Ksh58.17 million, while the remaining assets were contested by EACC in the recovery proceedings.
The court also examined the former registrar's earnings during the period under investigation. His gross monthly salary increased from Ksh69,660 in 2013 to Ksh115,630 in 2024.
Some properties that had been acquired before the period covered by the investigation were also considered by the court and excluded from the forfeiture proceedings.
The case is part of EACC's wider efforts to recover public assets and land allegedly acquired through irregular means along the Kenyan Coast.
The anti-corruption agency has previously pursued the recovery of public land in the region, including properties valued at about Ksh100 million that were allegedly allocated to private entities through 99-year leases.