A former Kilifi Principal Land Registrar and his associates have been ordered to surrender assets worth KSh426.8 million to the Government after failing to account for the source of the wealth.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said the forfeiture order was issued by Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Court Judge B.M. Musyoki in a judgment delivered on September 18, 2026.
The case involved former Kilifi Principal Land Registrar Felix Mecha Nyakundi, his wife Stellah Nyaboke Otwori, and companies linked to the family. The court found that the respondents had not provided a satisfactory explanation for the difference between the assets they accumulated and their known legitimate income.
According to the EACC, the assets ordered forfeited include KSh233.58 million held in bank accounts and M-Pesa accounts, as well as properties valued at approximately KSh177.11 million. Among the properties are the Bantu Hotel along Kangundo Road in Nairobi, valued at KSh107.7 million, and the Saro Wiwa apartment block in Utawala, estimated at KSh35 million.
The forfeiture also covers a penthouse in Mombasa valued at KSh19 million and 11 parcels of land located in Kilifi and Thika, with a combined value of KSh15.41 million. Three motor vehicles—a Land Cruiser Prado, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Hilux—valued at about KSh11.9 million are also affected by the order. The court further ordered the forfeiture of KSh4.26 million in cash that investigators recovered during a search of the respondents’ residences.
The Commission said its investigations covered transactions and acquisitions made between January 2013 and March 2024. During that period, Nyakundi and his associates were found to have accumulated assets worth approximately KSh771.89 million. The wealth comprised transactions amounting to KSh467.76 million through various bank accounts and M-Pesa numbers, properties valued at KSh287.51 million, motor vehicles worth KSh20.06 million and KSh4.26 million in cash recovered during searches.
EACC said Nyakundi’s official monthly salary ranged from KSh69,660 in 2013 to KSh115,630 in 2024. The Commission said the respondents were only able to satisfactorily account for assets valued at KSh58.17 million, leaving a significant portion of the wealth unexplained.
EACC subsequently moved to court under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act (ACECA) seeking recovery of assets it said were disproportionate to the respondents’ known legitimate sources of income.
The court has now ordered the identified assets worth KSh426,851,982.04 to be forfeited to the Government of Kenya.
