NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8— The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered public land in Mombasa valued at Sh51 million after a 17-year legal battle over its alleged irregular allocation.
The 0.514-acre property, known as MN/I/2411, is located in Nyali and belongs to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
The recovery was secured through an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) settlement reached on September 21, 2026, under which the registered owner, Omar Tahir, agreed to surrender the property to the public.
“The recovery follows civil proceedings filed by the Commission in ELC Case No. 177 of 2009; Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission v. Zakayo Kipkemboi Cheruiyot, Omar Tahir and Sammy Mwaita, before the Mombasa Environment and Land Court in 2009,” EACC said.
According to the Commission, its investigations established that the property had been illegally and irregularly allocated in 2000 by then Commissioner of Lands Sammy Mwaita to former Kuresoi Constituency MP Zakayo Kipkemboi Cheruiyot.
Cheruiyot subsequently transferred the property to Tahir.
The ADR settlement brings to an end years of litigation and restores the land to public ownership for the purpose for which it was originally intended.
The Commission said the resolution demonstrated that disputes involving public assets could be resolved without protracted court battles where parties were willing to reach an agreement.
EACC urged individuals holding illegally or irregularly acquired public property to voluntarily surrender the assets and facilitate their return to the public.
The Commission said such settlements could help avoid lengthy litigation and the costs associated with prolonged court proceedings while accelerating the recovery of public assets.
