Kimunya Freed on Sh700,000 Cash Bail Pending Retrial in Sh60 Million Land Fraud Case

Former Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya has been released on cash bail pending his retrial in a Sh60 million land fraud case.

Kimunya and his co-accused Lilian Njenga, a former director of Land Adjudication and Settlement at the Ministry, and businessman Junghae Wainaina appeared before anti-corruption court Chief Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi on Tuesday after the High Court last week overturned their acquittal and ordered a retrial.

Magistrate Mugambi freed Kimunya on a cash bail of Sh700,000 while Njenga and Wainaina were granted Sh1 million cash bail each. He also transferred the file to Principal Magistrate Peter Ooko to handle the retrial.

Last Thursday, High Court Justice Esther Maina determined that the prosecution had built a prima facie case against Kimunya and his two co-defendants.

The three were last year acquitted by Anti-Corruption Magistrate Felix Kombo, but the Director of Public Prosecutions filed an appeal arguing that the court erred in law by releasing them.

Kimunya is accused of fraudulently transferring 25 acres of land in Nyandarua County owned by the government to a private company linked to him on January 30th, 2005. He was then the Minister for Lands and Housing. 

The parcel had been set aside for the Ministry of Agriculture for seed multiplication and also acted as a farmers’ training centre.

The three were charged with abuse of office, failing to disclose private interests, and disposing of public property fraudulently. Kimunya and Njenga are alleged to have used their positions to award to Midlands Limited 25 acres of public land worth Sh60 million in Njabini.