The Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission has successfully recovered sh1.2 billion Chale Island in Kwale County.
The land was previously grabbed by private developers who had subdivided and issued it to non-existing squatters.
EACC boss Twalib Mbarak said the milestone achievement comes after a long court battle.
Mbarak said last week Kwale Environment and Land Court ruled on the EACC favour putting an end to a four-year battle between the commission and private developers.
“EACC filed the case in 2020 but we are happy to announce that the Kwale land court ruled in our favour on October 2, 2023,” he said.
The land belonged to the government and was declared a marine national reserve in 1982.
Mbarak said the court affirmed that Chale Island is not available for allocation and that EACC, on a balanced probability, proved its case against the defendants.
He said the court also nullified all the transactions leading to the illegal land transfers and ordered the Kwale District land Registrar to cancel all illegal entries in the Registers.
Mbarak said that Chale Island is among the many grabbed public lands that EACC is working to recover.
He said the commission is determined to relentlessly deal with land grabbing and fight corruption.
Mbarak said EAC will not tolerate the vice and culprits shall face the full force of the law once found
He stressed that war against land grabbing and graft will be worn at all costs.
Mbarak said the commission has enough lawyers and resources to ensure land grabbers handled according to the law.
“If you know you grabbed any land, give it back because we are coming for you,” he said.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani said the county has also recovered Kisite Mpunguti and plans are underway to reclaim other grabbed lands in the region.
She said her administration is focused on addressing historical land injustices.
Achani said in partnership with EACC, the county will ensure the issue of squatters is addressed and locals get the desired justice.
She, however, urged residents to maintain peace and use the judicial system to fight land grabbing.
