A notorious land fraudster operating in Eldoret town has been arraigned in court.
The suspect, William Kimei Tanui, is implicated in a fraudulent scheme targeting prime parcels of land in Eldoret township. He appeared before Eldoret Law Courts, facing charges of conspiracy to defraud, perjury, and obtaining land registration through misrepresentation of facts in court.
Kimei’s arrest on Friday, January 31, 2025, by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) followed a complaint from the distressed owner of a 0.0929-hectare plot in the Pioneer area of Eldoret South.
The landowner had been unable to take full control of her property or develop it due to threats from Kimei.”
A probe revealed that Kimei, knowingly and with intent to obtain land registration, had on 16th October, 2023 filed an affidavit at the High Court purporting to have been in occupation of the land since 1971, thus misleading the court to declare him the genuine owner of the land valued at approximately Ksh 50 million.
Meanwhile, two other suspects; Margaret Jemutai Kangogo and Zendera Kiplagat Biwott had moved to a lower court on January 25, 2023, where they jointly swore and filed affidavits claiming occupation of the same parcel of land since 1999.
However, their efforts were interrupted when Kimei started making inquiries at the same office.
While the two fraudulent groups were engaged in a fierce battle of deceptive schemes, the victims eventually realised that although they possessed the relevant papers, they had nothing to show for it.
Desperate, they sought police assistance. Kimei was eventually tracked down and arrested, but Kangogo and Biwott remain at large.
“A warrant is in force for the arrest of the duo. Upon his arraignment, Kimei pleaded “not guilty” on all charges, and was released on a Sh 200,000 bond with the alternative of a cash bail of Sh 50,000” said DCI.
The matter will be mentioned on February 17, 2025.
