By Nelson Musungu, Bungoma
The Government has taken possession of the prime parcel of land worth KSh 35 million, which had been grabbed next to the Bungoma State Lodge at the Milimani area in Bungoma Town, following successful recovery by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Bungoma County Commissioner Thomas Sankei on Thursday confirmed that the government moved to enforce the eviction orders issued by Bungoma Environment and Land Court requiring the grabber to vacate the property.
Ownership of the property, known as Bungoma Township/169, measuring about half an acre, has now reverted to the Ministry of State Department for Housing and Urban Development.
The grabber, Judy Nekoye, a senior banking official in the region, was evicted on Tuesday following the expiry of the time she had been given to vacate and surrender the property back to the public.
Prior to her eviction, the court had rejected a plea by Nekoye’s advocates seeking to halt the eviction pending an intended appeal.
It emerged during the court proceedings that after the unlawful acquisition in 2016, Nekoye demolished a government house that stood on the land and constructed her own multi million-shilling luxury maisonette, which now faces demolition.
The land had been reserved by the Government in 1961 for the construction of residential houses for senior public officers.
In his judgment delivered on 9th October 2025, Justice Enock Cherono declared that all transactions leading to the acquisition of the land by Ms. Nekoye were fraudulent, illegal, null and void.
The Court nullified the Certificate of Lease and directed the Bungoma Land Registrar to rectify the Land Register by canceling all illegal entries relating to the grabber.
Justice Cherono issued eviction orders directing Nekoye, her servants or agents to vacate the property and directed them never to set foot on the land.
Civil society organization leaders led by Emmanuel Were applauded the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for its relentless efforts to recover public property that had been illegally acquired by private individuals.
“I commend the work of the EACC for recovering the grabbed house worth Sh50 million back to the government,” Were said.
He noted that land grabbing in Bungoma, especially in the Milimani area has become rampant with private developers illegally settling on public land meant for government projects.
“Milimani estate in Bungoma town is public land. We wonder how some people managed to secure title deeds for pieces of land there. We ask EACC to launch more investigations and evict all those who have illegally occupied government land,” he added.
Were said the ruling was a strong message to individuals who use their influence and connections to take over public properties for personal gain.
He further urged the commission not to relent in its pursuit of justice and recovery of stolen public assets, saying the public is fully behind their efforts.
The human rights defender warned that if the evictee defies the court orders and fails to vacate the property, civil society groups will take it upon themselves to push for the implementation of the court ruling.
“The court has done its work. If the evictee still stays in the house, we are going to stage protests and remove her by force. We will not allow public property to remain in private hands,” Were noted.
Were also urged the EACC to extend its investigations beyond Bungoma town to other parts of the county and neighboring counties, arguing that corruption in land offices had facilitated massive land grabbing.
He cited recent incidents where officers were caught soliciting bribes to alter land records, saying this had undermined public trust in land administration.
“I want to commend EACC for the recent arrest of the Busia Land Registrar over bribe allegations. This shows the commission is serious about dealing with corruption within land offices,” he said.
He added that Bungoma still needs land for the establishment of essential government facilities such as hospitals, schools, and staff quarters, hence the need to safeguard all public property from encroachment.
“EACC should also investigate those who have converted government houses into their own homes and ensure they are repossessed and handed back to the state,” Were stated.
