Faith Masita
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has re covered, reclaiming prime public land in Mombasa valued at KES 281 million after years of legal battle.
At the heart of the ruling are two contested parcels Mombasa/Block 1/525 and 1/526 located along Shimanzi Road. In consolidated cases ELC 64 and 65 of 2020 and ELC 180 of 2015, the Environment and Land Court ruled that the parcels had been unlawfully allocated in 1994 and later transferred to private parties.
The Court ordered the cancellation of the illegal titles and restored the land to Kenya Railways Corporation, affirming that the property had originally been reserved for railway use and future road expansion.The reclaimed Shimanzi parcels alone are valued at KES 175 million.
In a separate judgment delivered on February 3, 2026, the Court nullified a lease over Mombasa Island/Block XI/937 along Tom Mboya Avenue formerly Tudor Road after establishing that it sits on a designated road reserve.The land, valued at KES 15 million, was ordered to revert to public use.
Further recoveries along the same corridor, valued at KES 91 million, push the total value of reclaimed property in this matter to KES 281 million. A Strong Signal in the War on Corruption
The latest wins reinforce asset recovery as a central weapon in the anti-corruption fight. Over the past year alone, the Commission has filed more than 79 recovery suits targeting assets worth approximately KES 4.8 billion. So far, KES 3.4 billion has already been successfully clawed back.
The message is unmistakable: illegally acquired public land is no longer safe. With court orders now restoring the parcels to their intended public use, the rulings send a sharp warning to land grabbers public property will be traced, challenged and reclaimed.
For Mombasa residents, it marks not just a legal victory, but a reclamation of space meant for infrastructure, development and the public good.
