Attention has turned to senior officials in the Ministry of Lands who approved the use of a public land title deed to secure Sh1.9 billion from the National Bank of Kenya for an affordable housing project.
The officials involved are Stephen Njoroge and chief land registrar David Nyandoro, both of whom remain in their positions due to court orders.
Sources indicate that the two are at the center of the emerging issues and should be questioned. Investigations are reportedly ongoing to determine why the deed was utilized as collateral without clear public approval.
The DCI and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission have initiated investigations into this matter.Insiders suggest that the duo appears to be the primary source of land-related problems at the ministry.
This development adds a new layer to the ongoing mystery surrounding the missing title deeds for an affordable housing project in Jevanjee, Ngara, Nairobi.It has now been revealed that the title deed for the public land was utilized to secure a Sh1.9 billion bank loan.
This disclosure has ignited further controversy and brought former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko into the limelight as he denied allegations of retaining the deed while accusing current city officials of spreading misinformation.
Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration had accused Sonko of possessing the title deed for the estate under LR No 209/5458, which is registered in Nairobi as LR 199739/1.
However, while speaking to journalists last week, Sonko stated that the title deeds for both the Jeevanjee and Pangani affordable housing projects are held by the National Bank of Kenya.
He explained that the documents were pledged to the bank as collateral for a Sh1.9 billion loan approved for a private developer involved in the project.
“The title was taken to the bank as a special purpose vehicle to secure financing,” Sonko said, asserting that the accusations against him were baseless.
The former governor provided further documentation, including a letter from the National Bank dated January 1, 2023, which confirmed the bank’s disbursement of funds to Jabavu Village Limited, the developer assigned to the Jevanjee project.
According to Sonko, the title deeds were transferred to the bank long after his administration, undermining claims made by current officials that he still held the deeds.
The Nairobi County Assembly’s planning and housing committee, chaired by Kitisuru MCA Alvin Palapala, has recently launched an investigation to track down the missing title deeds for both the Jeevanjee and Pangani projects.
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