Anderson Muthoka was scrolling his mobile phone on January 25th, 2023 when a paid up social media advert popped up inviting him to buy a piece of land in Mugutha area, off Thika Road in Juja Constituency, Kiambu. The offer was palatable, there was partial payment options.The seller had been fronted as National Cooperative Housing Union Limited (NACHU) and the aggressive marketing was fronted by Finsco Africa, a marketing agency that is also in another row with Kiambu county government for selling unregulated commercial and residential plots in a matter that has seen county government stop the latter.
Fast-forward, on March 16, 2023, Mr Muthoka visited the site of Riverline project after making phone enquiries, he was assured that the title deed of the land was under Nachu and proceeded to pay close to Sh 2.5 million for a 50×100 land.
He was promised that the title deed would be out in three months only to realize that it was all fraud and that the title of the land is under New Pilion Estates Limited owned by the family of the former police commissioner Bernard Njinu Kiarie who is also fighting with his close family members over the sale and the control of the multi-billion land to Nachu without their consent.
Mr Muthoka is not one of those people who have fallen trap into Nachu selling scheme. Agnes Waithira is one of them .Last year, she cleared paying the whole amount of Sh 2.5 million for a 50×100 land and she has been chasing for the transfer.
”I have cleared paying for the land and Nachu keep telling us to pay transfer fee but after paying, nothing comes up.Personally i have approached media outlets to expose the fraud at Nachu and even after the interviews nothing airs or get published. We have already at individual level written to the land fraud unit and come January , police have agreed to summon senior management of Nachu,” Ms Waithira said over the weekend.
Few years ago, one faction contesting the land had filed the case at The Environment and Land Court at Thika accusing Bernard Njinu Kiarie who was a powerful police chief from 1982 to 1988 under President Moi of fraudulently selling the 402-acre land in Ruiru, Kiambu County.
In the case filed by Mary Njoki Thuku who is laying a joint claim to the land at the centre of the dispute with Mr Njinu and four others through a company called New Pilion Estates Limited, the plaintiff accuses the former police boss of selling the parcel behind his co-directors’ back.
Mr. Njinu sold the land to the National Cooperative Housing Union Limited (NACHU) in what Mrs Thuku, through her lawyer Mr Kaingati Kamonjo, describes as ‘an epic fraud.’
At one time, the court ordered NACHU to stop advertising, marketing and selling the Riverline Ridges development on New Pillion land and to award the property in equal portions to its six shareholders.
‘The 4th Defendant (NACHU) is trying to evade the cause of justice by aggressively disposing off the property by selling a plot measuring 50 by 100 at Ksh1.195M which is a throw away price considering the current market value of that area is nothing short of Ksh4.M,’ the suit stated then as they sought an out of court settlement.
Documents in possession of this publication indicate New Pillion owes the Cooperative Bank and Tropical Farm Management Limited Ksh14M and 13M respectively in unsettled debts. If the land was used as security for an unpaid loan, Co-operative Bank is likely to lay claim to owning the land exposing people who have already millions to potential land scam.
Another bone of contention is why Nachu embarked on selling the investment to the buyers before it has assumed full ownership of the property.
Even as this happens, it has emerged that Nachu is in deep financial crisis and its staring at some of its assets being put up for auction by its creditors with some suppliers going to nearly four months without any pay.
”Nachu financial sustainability is very fragile. They are not diversified and they are currently supporting their day to day business from Riverline Payments from the buyers and that is why you are seeing for nearly five years , only 15 title deeds out of 600 title deeds have been handed over to the buyers because they have not been surrendering payments to New Pillion Estate the real owners of the land so that the land can be transferred,” an insider told this publication.
Are you a diaspora buyer scammed by Nachu? Email us via info@whistleblower.co.ke
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