The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has successfully reclaimed public land in Machakos town valued at approximately KSh 50 million.
The recovered parcels, Machakos Municipality Block 1/623 and Block 1/624, are located along Kangundo Road and cover around 0.79 acres. Investigations revealed that these properties were illegally allocated to private individuals in the early 1990s.
According to the Commission, the land was originally part of LR No. 909/536, measuring 1.78 acres, which had been reserved for institutional housing under the Ministry of Health. The site also hosts Government House No. Mach/House/HG.14, designated as a “pool house,” which currently accommodates the Sub-County Police Commander.
Further findings showed that LR No. 909/536 had been unlawfully subdivided into three parcels: Machakos Municipality Blocks 1/622, 1/623, and 1/624. While Blocks 1/623 and 1/624 were allocated to private developers, the portion hosting the government house remained under public ownership. During the probe, the registered owner of Block 1/624 voluntarily returned the land to the government.
In 2019, EACC filed a suit to recover Block 1/623 against Mr. Wilson Gacanja, then Commissioner of Lands, and Mr. Joseph Mutuku Muia, son of former Masaku Town Council Mayor Peter M. Ndunda.
On 16 January 2026, Environment and Land Court Judge Hon. Justice Nelly A. Matheka ruled that Block 1/623 was part of LR No. 909/536 reserved for public use and therefore could not be alienated. The court ordered the cancellation of Mr. Muia’s title and directed that the land register be corrected to restore ownership to the Government of Kenya.
Over the past year, the Commission has also recovered two other properties in Machakos through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Machakos Municipality Block 2/7, a Ministry of Housing parcel allocated to the Judiciary, and Block 2/936, which is part of Machakos Primary School land.
Speaking at the recovered land site, EACC Director of Legal Services and Asset Recovery, Mr. David K. Too, said the Commission is pursuing assets valued at approximately KSh 363 million across Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni counties. Among them are 13 parcels of Kenya Prisons land in Machakos worth around KSh 60 million.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to reclaiming illegally acquired public assets and urged individuals or entities in possession of such properties to voluntarily return them for their intended public use.