Former Lands Minister Amos Kimunya has mounted a spirited defense against allegations of fraudulent disposal of public property, telling a Nairobi court that he acted within the law and in the best interests of the public.
Testifying in his own defense, Kimunya dismissed the prosecution’s case as “baseless and unsubstantiated,” asserting that no credible witness had directly implicated him in the alleged irregular allocation of public land to a private entity. The land, valued at approximately Sh60 million, was allegedly allocated to Midlands Limited during Kimunya’s tenure in 2005.
“There is no evidence to show what I did that amounts to fraud or how my actions caused any loss,” Kimunya told the court. “My office did not engage in the transaction. I did not commit any act of fraud or disposal of land.”
Kimunya told the court that nine out of the 17 prosecution witnesses had confirmed he neither contacted them nor interfered with the land transaction in question. He emphasized that his ministerial duties at the time were guided strictly by law and clarified that the trustee position cited in the charges was not held by the Lands Minister, but by the Finance and Agriculture Ministers.
“This is a serious fraud charge, yet I have spent a significant part of my career fighting economic crimes,” Kimunya said. He detailed his anti-corruption background, including helping draft anti-fraud legislation in 1991 and serving as an economic crimes investigator in London. He also referenced his appointment to a taskforce on economic crimes by then-Attorney General Amos Wako.
“I would not engage in any act that compromises public assets, given my background in anti-corruption efforts,” he added.
Kimunya also defended the role of Midlands Limited the company at the center of the case describing it as a public entity owned by farmers from Nyandarua County. He said the company’s mission was to add value to local agricultural produce, and that its involvement in the land transaction was in line with public interest.
The former Cabinet Minister, who also served as National Assembly Majority Leader, is charged alongside Lilian Wangiri Njenga and Junghae Wainaina, a director at Midlands Ltd. The prosecution alleges that the trio orchestrated the unlawful allocation of 25 acres of land originally designated for the Njabini Agricultural Training Centre, a government institution established to support farmers.
Kimunya maintains that the prosecution has failed to prove any wrongdoing on his part and has called on the court to acquit him.
The trial continues.
