Five Fraudsters Behind Sh150M Land Scam Charged in Mombasa

Five individuals have been charged in a high-profile land fraud case involving a 12-acre parcel in Miritini, Mombasa County, valued at over Sh150 million.

The accused—Edward Marenye Kiguru, Abubakar Madey, Joseph Matheka, Mahmoud Abdalla Mahmoud, and Mohamed Saleh Hassan—appeared before the Chief Magistrate Court in Mombasa, facing allegations of orchestrating a fraudulent land registration scheme.

The case stems from a complaint lodged after employees of Kingorani Investment Limited, the original registered owner of the land since the early 1990s, were forcibly evicted from the property by the suspects.

Investigations revealed that the land had been unlawfully transferred to Mahmoud Abdalla Mahmoud and Mohamed Saleh Hassan through a meticulously planned scam.

Following a thorough probe, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which authorized charges against the five.

A manhunt led to the arrest of Edward Marenye Kiguru, a registered private surveyor in Mombasa, on April 7, 2025.

Mahmoud and Hassan, aware that authorities were closing in, attempted to evade capture by fleeing to Nairobi. Their escape was thwarted when police tracked them to a hotel hideout in the capital, and they were promptly returned to Mombasa.

Joseph Matheka, a land administrator previously based in Kilifi County and recently operating in Eldoret, was apprehended at his Kangundo Road residence.

Abubakar Madey, a registered physical planner in Mombasa, surrendered to authorities after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The suspects, whose roles ranged from surveyors to administrators and planners, allegedly exploited their expertise to manipulate land records and facilitate the illegal transfer.

All five pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court released them on a Sh500,000 bond or a Sh100,000 cash bail, with each required to provide one surety of the same amount.

The case is set for a pre-trial mention on May 5, 2025.