A new case of land fraud has drawn fresh attention to how public property is handled in Kenya, after detectives arrested three men accused of transferring a valuable piece of land belonging to the National Social Security Fund without permission.
The arrests come after weeks of investigation and follow a complaint that was reported to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in early September 2025.
According to the complaint, the land in Arthi River, within Mavoko Municipality in Machakos County, had been taken through illegal means even though NSSF insisted that it had never been sold to anyone.
The land, valued at around KES 350 million, became the centre of the investigation after it emerged that a title deed had been created showing that the property had been transferred to three individuals. These suspects, identified as Harish Ramji, Ashvin Ramji and Bharat Ramji, are said to have worked with other accomplices who are still being hunted by detectives.
The DCI established that the suspects had presented documents that looked official but were not genuine.
One of the key findings showed that a transfer document dated May 27, 2010, appeared to carry the signatures of the NSSF Board of Trustees, even though no such transfer had ever been approved.
The land measures about 3.043 hectares, and the fake transfer document was used to obtain registration by pretending that NSSF had willingly handed over ownership.
The investigators later compiled an inquiry file that was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
After reviewing the findings, the ODPP confirmed that the evidence provided was clear, detailed and matched the statements gathered by the DCI.
Because of this, the prosecution approved charges that include making a false document, conspiracy to defraud, forgery and obtaining registration by false pretences.
With these approvals in place, detectives relied on forensic leads to locate the suspects. They were arrested today and taken into custody for processing as they wait to be taken to court.
The search for their accomplices is ongoing, and investigators say they are confident that more arrests will be made.
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