Family stages protest at Buruburu church over alleged land grabbing

Chaos erupted at St. James ACK Church in Buruburu, Nairobi, when a widow and her children staged a protest outside the church, demanding the arrest of a church leader accused of fraud.

The family alleged that the leader had used their land title to secure a loan after making false promises to help them settle their initial debt.

Margaret Watiti Ndungu, a 75-year-old widow, recounted her years-long struggle for justice.

She claimed the church leader, identified as Peter Kinuthia Waithunguri, was in the final stages of fraudulently taking ownership of her land in Ngong, located along the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line.

Margaret’s ordeal began in 2013 when she secured a loan of Ksh 600,000 using her land title.

When she faced challenges repaying the loan, Kinuthia offered to clear the debt in exchange for holding the title deed as collateral, promising she could reclaim it upon repayment.

While Kinuthia initially returned the title deed, Margaret was later shocked to learn that the government had seized the land for the SGR project.

Compensation was issued, but Kinuthia was listed as the landowner, holding an official title deed.

To complicate matters further, Margaret discovered that Kinuthia had used the same land title to secure a Ksh 6 million loan from a financial institution.

Kajiado County land officials informed her that compensation for the land could not be processed until the loan was fully repaid by the titleholder.

After years of legal battles, a Kajiado court ruled in May 2023 that the land rightfully belonged to Margaret and ordered its return.

Despite the ruling, Kinuthia allegedly employed deceptive tactics to delay enforcement and evade arrest.

On Sunday, police arrested Kinuthia at St. James Church and detained him at Buruburu Police Station before transferring him to Isinya, where two other complainants have filed similar fraud allegations against him.

Margaret expressed her frustrations, calling for Kinuthia to repay the loan and return her land title.

Private investigator Jane Mugo added that land registrars must be held accountable, as they often collude with fraudsters to exploit Kenyans.

The incident highlights the need for vigilance when handling crucial land documents and raises concerns about the role of land registrars in perpetuating such fraud.