Kimunya back in court as Sh60m land graft case heads to defence stage

Former minister Amos Kimunya among others, was present in court ahead of the judgement in the case where they face allegations of unlawful allocation of a 25-acre public parcel of land to Midlands Limited during his tenure at Milimani anti-corruption court, Nairobi on May 6, 2026/LEAH MUKANGAI

The case concerns an alleged Sh60 million graft involving former Lands Minister Amos Kimunya. Prosecutors claim the allocation of a 25-acre parcel of public land, valued at approximately Sh60 million, was irregular and violated procurement laws.

The land is said to have been unlawfully allocated to Midlands Limited during Kimunya’s tenure as minister. Kimunya, alongside three others, faced charges of abuse of office and fraudulent disposal of public property.

The prosecution further alleged that the 25 acres were illegally excised from land belonging to the Njabini Farmers Training Centre without the consent of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The case had initially ended in Kimunya’s acquittal. However, the Court of Appeal later overturned that decision and ordered a retrial, which is currently at the defence stage. In a previous court session on July 14, Kimunya told the court that the prosecution had failed to establish any element of fraud against him.

He maintained that his actions as Lands Minister were strictly guided by the law, arguing that the trustee role at the centre of the dispute fell under the jurisdiction of the Finance and Agriculture ministries.

He also defended the allocation, stating that Midlands Limited is a public entity owned by farmers in Nyandarua and was intended to add value to their produce.

The disputed land formed part of a larger 75-acre parcel originally allocated to the Njabini Agricultural Training Centre, a government institution established to support farmer training and agricultural development.