A personal assistant to a Member of Parliament from Kenya’s Coast region has been arraigned in a Mombasa court over allegations of land grabbing.
He faces multiple charges, including malicious damage to property and conspiracy to commit a felony, tied to a contentious three-acre piece of land in Kilifi South.
The assistant was apprehended by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and appeared before the Shanzu Law Courts on Wednesday. According to a statement by the DCI, the assistant is accused of illegally taking over the land from its rightful owner.
The controversy stems from events in June 2024, when the suspect allegedly demolished a perimeter wall constructed by the legal owner. The land had been divided into three sections, and investigations reportedly confirmed the assistant’s role in its illegal acquisition.
Detectives from Kilifi South gathered enough evidence to support the charges, which was reviewed and endorsed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Identified only as Victor, the accused was formally charged with malicious property damage and conspiracy to commit a felony. He is currently being held at Shimo la Tewa prison, with the court scheduled to review his pre-bail report on June 11.
While the DCI did not disclose the name of the MP involved, they confirmed that the legislator represents a constituency in the coastal region.
Land grabbing involving powerful figures is not new in Kenya. Over the years, several high-profile cases have emerged, implicating influential individuals, including past presidents, in land fraud—especially in areas like Karen, Diani Beach, and Nyeri. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has also been pursuing former officials suspected of illegally acquiring public land and government-owned houses worth billions of shillings.
