The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has successfully recovered a prime piece of government land valued at Ksh 35 million located in the prestigious Milimani area, right next to the Bungoma State Lodge.

The recovery of the half-acre parcel, registered as Bungoma Township/169, follows a definitive judgment delivered on Thursday, October 9, 2025, by the Environment and Land Court in Bungoma.

Justice Enock Cherono of the Bungoma Environment and Land Court ruled in favour of the EACC, declaring that all transactions leading to the private acquisition of the land by Ms. Judy Nekoye were “fraudulent, illegal, null, and void.”

The case revealed that the property, which was originally reserved by the Government in 1961 for constructing residential houses for senior public officers under the Ministry of State Department for Housing and Urban Development, was irregularly allocated in 2004 to two individuals, Charles Nyasani and Scolastica Nyakerario. They subsequently transferred the lease to Ms. Judy Nekoye in 2016.

Despite the land having a government house on it, which was reportedly demolished by the grabber, a multi-million luxury mansion was later constructed on the site. Ms. Nekoye had petitioned the court to be declared the legal owner, but the EACC vigorously opposed her claim, leading to the landmark judgment.

Justice Cherono’s ruling included declaring the Certificate of Lease fraudulently issued in 2002 to the initial allottees, and the subsequent lease registered in 2016 in favour of Ms. Nekoye as null and void.

The Bungoma Land Registrar was directed to cancel all illegal entries relating to the property, expunging the illegal certificates of lease from the records. Lastly, an eviction order was issued, compelling Ms. Nekoye, her servants, agents, and assigns to immediately vacate the public property.

The successful recovery of the property, which the EACC had listed as BGM ELC. 12/2020 (Judith Nekoye vs. EACC), signals the commission’s ongoing commitment to reclaiming illegally acquired public assets in the region.

“The commission is pursuing 16 additional prime public properties believed to have been grabbed within Bungoma town for recovery and returned to the public,” reads a post by the EACC on X.

The commission has consistently urged the public to exercise caution, advising them to conduct thorough due diligence before acquiring any property to avert losses arising from the illegal acquisition of public land.