Court clears Amos Kimunya in Sh60 million Nyandarua land case after 11-year legal battle

Former Lands minister Amos Kimunya has once again been cleared over a disputed Sh60 million land transaction in Nyandarua after a Nairobi court ruled that the evidence brought forward did not meet the required standard for a criminal conviction.

Magistrate Harrison Barasa, in a ruling delivered on Wednesday, held that the prosecution failed to directly connect Kimunya to the alleged irregular allocation of a 25-acre parcel of land taken from Njabini Farmers Training Centre and given to Midlands Limited.

Kimunya had been charged alongside others with abuse of office and unlawful disposal of public property. The case centred on claims that while serving as Lands minister in June 2005, he influenced the transfer of public land valued at about Sh60 million to a private company linked to him as a shareholder and director.

However, the court noted that the documentary trail did not support the allegations. It was highlighted that the letter of offer was signed by former Director of Land Adjudication and Settlement Lilian Wangari Njenga, who handled the process within official administrative procedures.

Njenga told the court that her duties were limited to processing applications through established government systems that involved multiple checks. She insisted she acted within the law and followed procedure in handling the matter.

In his findings, Magistrate Barasa stated that the prosecution had not demonstrated any direct instructions or influence from Kimunya in relation to the allocation. He emphasized that assumptions and suspicion could not replace solid proof required in a criminal case.

“The prosecution has not satisfied this court as to the guilt of the first accused in the three counts,” Magistrate Barasa stated in his ruling.

The court further observed that Njenga did not testify to any pressure or direction from Kimunya in executing her duties. “There is no evidence that the first accused issued any instructions regarding the allocation,” the magistrate added.

Kimunya maintained in his defence that he was not involved in the land allocation process and denied any wrongdoing. The court noted that his testimony remained consistent throughout the proceedings and was not successfully challenged.

All other accused persons, including a director of Midlands Limited and the company itself, were also cleared. The court found no evidence indicating fraudulent acquisition of the land and noted that the company appeared to have been formed with a legitimate agricultural focus.

The magistrate also remarked that the idea behind Midlands Limited appeared to be aligned with supporting farming activities, describing it as “born out of a noble idea.”

The dispute has stretched over many years, beginning in March 2014 when Kimunya and his co-accused were first arraigned at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court over the same allegations.

In 2020, they were initially acquitted after the trial court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case. That decision was later overturned in 2022 following an appeal, leading to a retrial ordered by the High Court.

The matter continued to face delays due to missing witnesses and incomplete government records. At some point, attempts were made to settle the matter outside court, but these were rejected by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

With the latest ruling delivered on May 6, 2026, the court has now brought the prolonged legal battle to a final close, clearing all the accused of the charges.