The allure of Karen’s leafy suburbs has once again fueled a high-stakes alleged fraud, ending in the arrest of a man accused of gifting himself land worth a staggering KSh 200 million.

Benick Otieno Okombo was apprehended by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Monday, exposing yet another layer in the city’s persistent land grabbing crisis where the dead are often the easiest targets.

The Phantom Gift

The operation, executed by the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU), culminated at Bruce House in Nairobi’s Central Business District. Detectives moved in on Okombo following a trail of paperwork that investigators describe as highly suspect.

According to the DCI, the suspect allegedly orchestrated a scheme to transfer the prime property to himself using falsified records. The specific allegations involve:

• Forged Deed of Gift: A document purporting that the land was voluntarily gifted to the suspect.
• Falsified Transfer: Manipulation of official transfer instruments to formalize the theft.
• High-Value Target: The specific parcel is located in Karen, one of Nairobi's most exclusive residential nodes.

Targeting the Deceased

The case highlights a disturbing trend in Nairobi’s real estate sector: the targeting of properties belonging to deceased estates. The investigation was triggered not by the original owner, but by a complainant who had legitimately purchased the land from the owner before their death.

Investigators noted that the suspect attempted to bypass the legitimate buyer by creating a parallel history of ownership. By forging a 'Deed of Gift'—a legal instrument usually reserved for family members or close associates—the suspect allegedly attempted to circumvent the standard sale process and disinherit the rightful buyer.

While Okombo remains in custody pending arraignment, the DCI has signaled that this arrest may be part of a wider crackdown on cartels that specialize in reviving 'dead' files at the land registry for personal gain.