Former Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Davis Nathan Chelogoi has been sentenced to three years in prison over a Ksh1.35 billion land fraud case.

While delivering the sentence on Monday, November 2, Milimani Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego considered submissions from both the defence and the prosecution, alongside the victim impact report.

Chelogoi was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on Count One, two years on Count Two, three years on Count Three and three years on Count Four.

He also received three years on Count Five and one year on Count Six. However, the court ordered all six sentences to run concurrently, meaning he will serve an effective prison term of three years.

“Hearing continues to sentence as follows. Now for count number 1, the accused will serve a 2-year custodial sentence. Count number 2, 2 years' custodial sentence. Count number 3, 3 years' custodial sentence. Count number 4, 3 years' custodial sentence. And the fifth count, 3 years' custodial sentence. Count 5, 3 years' custodial sentence. And count 6, 1 year custodial sentence. The sentences will run concurrently," Chief Magistrate Alego stated.

The case involved a disputed 7.39-hectare parcel of land along Lower Kabete Road, valued at Ksh1.35 billion, whose ownership sparked a lengthy legal battle.

Prosecutors established that Chelogoi fraudulently acquired and registered the property between May 2020 and June 2021. The former administrator allegedly relied on forged ownership documents, a fabricated registry file card and falsified signatures to support his claim.

Land Registrar Pauline Achieng Pesa told the court that the official stamps and signatures bearing her name on the disputed documents were forgeries.

Investigators also found that the Ministry of Lands had no authentic historical records to support Chelogoi's ownership claim prior to the disputed 2021 registration.

The complainants, businessmen Ashok Rupshi Shah and Hitenkumar Amritlal Raja, had purchased the property from Lima Company Limited in January 2007 for Ksh33 million.

Their ownership had previously been upheld by the Environment and Land Court in 2022 and subsequently affirmed by the Court of Appeal.

Chelogoi maintained that former President Daniel arap Moi allocated him the land in January 1995 for Ksh2.48 million, but the court rejected his defence.

Alego has since ordered that the victim impact assessment report be adopted as a court order and informed the accused of their right of appeal within 14 days.