Kenya’s Ex-President, Daniel Moi Ordered to Pay $9.89m for Land He Stole 36 Years Ago

If you are one of those who believe that time can erase the footprints of evil, then you should think again. The crimes of a former president of Kenya, Daniel Moi, have caught up with him 36 years later. What a sad way to pay for one’s crime. Indeed, the strong arm of justice is no respecter of time, age or status. Good and justice will always overcome evil.

After 36 years, the Kenyan high court has found ex-president of the country, Daniel Moi guilty of illegal land grabbing.

The court has ordered him to pay the sum of $9.89 million (sh1 billion) for a certain parcel of land measuring 53-acres which he forcibly took over and ordered officials to register the land under his name.

You will recall that Daniel Moi served as the second President of Kenya from 1978 to 2002, after the administration of Kenyan icon Jomo Kenyatta. Critics claim he was nothing compared to Kenyatta and did more harm than good to Kenya.

Jomo Kenyatta, who is today regarded as an African statesman and nationalist served as the first prime minister of Kenya from 1963 to 1964, and then the first president of independent Kenya from 1964 to 1978.

The judgment against former president Daniel Moi was delivered by High Court judge Antony Ombwayo, who ordered that the Sh1 billion (which he said is the current value of the land) should be paid to one Susan Cheburet Chelugui and her son David Chelugui for illegally acquiring their land in 1983 valued over three billion shillings.

According to reports, after being in possession of the land for 24 years, Moi sold it to a firm owned by the Jaswant Rai family, who has been using the property to cultivate wheat for export.

The Judge noted that the acquisition of the land was done in an “unlawful manner”, and “not worthy of any constitutional protection.”

It appears the former president was in the habit of land grabbing. A report by Nerve Africa claims that prior to this, Moi had also lost five parcels of land in Eldoret Town after the High Court ruled that they are public property.

“Land grabbing is theft. Daniel Moi stole land belonging to those poor peasants. The DCI and DPP should have charged him with theft. Moi should not just return the land he stole and fully restitute for the theft; he should serve time in jail,” stated Miguna Miguna, an outspoken lawyer in Kenya.

Header Image Credit: Nairobi Wire