Karume firm wins 25-year land row

Over 600 tea and coffee pickers have lost a 25-year old legal battle over ownership of a 512-acre agricultural farm valued over Sh3 billion in Kiambu County to a company associated with late powerful politician Njenga Karume.

As the crestfallen members of Gitamaiyu Trading Company Limited left the court on Monday, their opponents drawn from Nyakinyua Mugumo Kiambaa Company Limited whose chairman had been the late Karume broke into song and dance soon after their lawyer Shairi Mwaura explained to them the outcome.

Nyakinyua acquired the land at the intervention of retired president Daniel arap Moi after being approached by the late Karume to intervene and it was exempted from the provisions of the Land Control Act.

The court said Gitamaiyu did not get consent from the land control board to purchase the vast farm and therefore the sale agreement between it and seller Fanros was void.