Matiangi Among 22 Ordered to Refund Billions Over Land

The agency is pursuing restitution of 1.5 billion shillings paid out in the matter, together with interest calculated at twelve per cent each year. Among those named are Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, Jubilee Deputy Leader Fred Matiangi, former National Land Commission chairperson Muhammad Swazuri, several past commissioners and officials, as well as companies connected to the family of the late businessman Francis Mburu.

The demands follow a Court of Appeal ruling that declared the 1.5 billion shilling payment by the National Land Commission for a thirteen-acre parcel in Ruaraka to have been unlawful. That sum had been disbursed as compensation to Afrison Export Import Limited and Huelands Limited. Investigators are examining claims of abuse of office, embezzlement and money laundering, with the funds allegedly presented as legitimate land compensation when they were not.

In the letters, the commission has required the parties to pay the principal amount jointly and severally, plus interest accruing from the 2018 date of disbursement. Recipients have been given seven days to settle the debt or face formal recovery proceedings in court. “The Commission, in exercise of the statutory mandate, hereby demands from you jointly and severally Ksh. 1.5 billion in restitution together with interest at 12 per cent per annum from the date of disbursement of the funds,” the demand states. It adds that failure to comply will lead to legal action at the respondents’ own risk regarding costs and further consequences.

Meanwhile, Huelands Limited, a firm associated with the Mburu family, has approached the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the appellate decision that cleared the way for the recovery process. The company advances eleven grounds of appeal, arguing that the judges failed to separate lawful planning controls from compulsory acquisition of private property and neglected constitutional protections for title and ownership. Huelands maintains that no public funds were lost and is asking the apex court to order payment of a remaining 1.7 billion shillings, part of an originally approved 3.2 billion shilling compensation package.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has opposed the Supreme Court application, describing it as an abuse of the judicial process. The unfolding dispute keeps the long-running Ruaraka land saga firmly in the public eye, highlighting ongoing efforts to reclaim public resources while the parties continue to contest the legality of the original transaction and subsequent payments.