BY NT CORRESPONDENT.
A witness in Sh 60 million case against Nakuru Town MP Samuel Arama and three others, was taken to task over refusal to transfer sale agreement documents to the legislator whom he sold the land in Nakuru County.
The prosecution witness, Mr Yusuf Mustafah Ratemo, while being cross examined by defence Lawyer Danson Omari, said he identified his signature on the letter of agreement for sale but declined having transferred the suit land to the law maker.
The witness told trial Magistrate Alex Kombo, in his evidence he owned no land in Nakuru, but in cross examination by Omari he admitted having a piece of land within the County but could not remember who sold him.
The witness denied knowing Benson Onkoba who is also an accused person in the case but later on changed his testimony and said he knew the accused.
” The property i sold in Nakuru the transfer agreement were signed by the lawyer whom i can not remember now” he told the court.
Mr Omari accused the prosecution witness of lying to the court .
The MP and his co-accused Mr i Onkaba were released on Sh1 million cash bail or a bond of Sh2 million each.
They were charged with an offence of fraudulent acquisition of land, they got a reprieve after their lawyer pleaded with the court to have them released on bond saying that it’s their constitutional right.
Mr Arama had appeared before Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti last month where they denied seven counts of conspiracy to defraud. They are said to have been committed the offences between August 3, 2015, and August 11, 2015.The prosecution said the two conspired to defraud Ahmed Muhammad Nisar of his plot in Nakuru municipality.
The two are said to have pretended that they were carrying out a genuine land transfer of plot Nakuru Municipality block 6/95 within Nakuru County to Samuel Otara Arama. Arama was also charged with making a land sale agreement without lawful authority in respect of plot Nakuru Municipality block 6/95, the property of Nisar, purporting it to have been signed by Yusuf Mustafa Ratemo.
In another count, Arama was charged with uttering a land sale agreement to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission investigators purporting to have been signed by Mr Ratemo. On August 7, 2015, Arama was accused that at the offices of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Nakuru Town, he willfully procured the issuance of certificate of lease and registration of transfer of lease of plot Nakuru Municipality Block 6/95 to himself.
Pakistan national claimed he bought the land 12 million but claimed the property was valued 4 million.
According to the documents the photo used in the documents is not different from the one used to transfer the property.
“Am just seeing now that the photo in the documents is not mine” said witness.
Tasked on whether he knows he cannot own a land in Kenya without president authority, he said he was not aware about it.
He told the court that there’s another civil case pending before Nakuru court. The said land is under Arama name.
