How Family Uncovered Fraud in Ksh800,000 Sale of Deceased Father's Land

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Detectives from the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU) have arrested a woman suspected of fraudulently acquiring and selling land belonging to a deceased estate.

In a statement on Thursday, August 20, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, Agnes Wairimu Gachanja, was apprehended on Wednesday, August 19, in Ruiru, where she had appeared for a defence hearing in a separate land fraud case being investigated by the LFIU.

"Agnes Wairimu Gachanja was arrested yesterday, August 19, 2026, in Ruiru, where she had attended a defence hearing for a separate land fraud case also under investigation by the LFIU," the statement read.

According to the DCI, the current investigation was initiated after two administrators of their late father's estate reported the suspected fraudulent transfer of the property.

"The current case was brought forward by two complainants, who serve as administrators of their late father's estate following his passing in 2008," the statement added.

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The DCI said the two complainants discovered the alleged irregular transfer while conducting an official search at the Thika Land Registry as part of the succession process.

The search showed that a parcel in Juja Farm had been transferred to another person without their knowledge or approval.

"The complainants discovered, during an official search at the Thika Land Registry as part of the succession process, that a parcel of land measuring approximately 0.0825 hectares in Juja Farm had been transferred to an unknown individual without their knowledge or consent," the statement further read.

According to the DCI, further investigations by the LFIU established that the parcel had been sold for Ksh800,000.

Detectives then completed their investigations and forwarded a duplicate police case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for review.

"Upon review, the ODPP concurred with the investigating officer’s recommendation that the suspect be charged with three offences: conspiracy to defraud, uttering false documents, and intermeddling with the property of a deceased person," the statement noted.

Gachanja has since been processed by detectives and is scheduled to appear before the Ruiru Law Courts on Thursday where she will face the three charges.

Elsewhere, detectives from LFIU arrested a mother and her daughter over an alleged land fraud scheme involving family property valued at approximately Ksh40 million.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DCI said Mary Muthoni Njogu and her daughter, Veronica Wambui Ng’ang’a, were arrested on Tuesday, August 18, following investigations into the alleged fraudulent transfer of family land in Karatina.

"The investigation was prompted by a complaint lodged by a family member acting on behalf of his siblings, alleging that the two suspects had deceitfully transferred valuable parcels of family land in Karatina, estimated at approximately Ksh40 million, into their own names and those of associated companies," the statement read.

The DCI said the investigations established that the alleged transfers were carried out secretly over a three-year period, with other family members deliberately excluded from the transactions.

"Through meticulous investigations, it was uncovered that the suspects executed secret transfers from 2020 to 2023, deliberately excluding other family members from the transactions," the statement added.

According to the DCI, following the completion of the investigations, detectives forwarded the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for review and directions on the appropriate charges against the suspects.

"Upon conclusion of the investigation, the case file was submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), which, upon review, directed that the suspects be charged with Conspiracy to Defraud and Fraudulent Procurement of Title," the statement further read.

Reporting originally appeared via Nairobi Leo. Read the full source for additional context.