Two businessmen, John Gitau Ngumu and Atek Otech Richard, have been charged with defrauding a prime parcel of land valued at Sh1.6 billion along Mombasa Road. The two appeared before Milimani Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi on Thursday, where they faced six criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud, forgery of a title deed, and presenting the forged document to the Deputy Registrar of the Environment and Land Court in Nairobi.
Gitau and Otech denied the charges in court, pleading not guilty to the accusations. They were charged alongside their co-accused, Bernard Otieno Mallo, who failed to attend the plea taking due to health reasons.
According to the charge sheet, Otieno alone faces additional charges, including perjury, for his alleged involvement in the fraudulent land deal.
The charges, presented by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), detail an elaborate scheme where the accused conspired to defraud Landmark Freight Services Limited of a valuable parcel of land, Land Reference Number 21068, located along Mombasa Road. The land, measuring approximately 0.6724 hectares, is said to be worth approximately KSh 1.6 billion.
