City lawyer Stephen Juma Ndeda has been charged with multiple criminal offenses, including money laundering, forgery, and uttering forged documents.
Ndeda appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa at the Kahawa Law Courts, where he denied all charges.
Lawyer Ndeda is accused that on the 20th June 2023, at UBA Kenya Bank Limited Upper hill Branch Nairobi, with intent to dispose- off monies received from a Bulgaria Algans Eood company engaged in a transaction to conceal an amount of USD USD 52,490 (equivalent to Sh 6, 797,455/-).
He received the money through account number 55030130004234 in his law firm Ndeda & Company Advocates whilst having reasons to believe that the said monies were proceeds of crime.
Prosecution told the court that on the 20th June 2023, at UBA Kenya Bank Upper hill Branch Nairobi, knowingly and fraudulently uttered to Calvins Gwaro Nyamwange, a forged sale agreement for Land Parcel number KJD/KEEKONYOKIE/ILKISUMET/3371.
This is by purporting the sale agreement as a genuine sale agreement signed by Andrew Immanuel Simuyu, as a Vendor with intention to defraud.
Ndeda is further accused that on or about 14th June 2023, at Ndeda & Company Advocates office situated at View Park Towers in Nairobi CBD , with intent to defraud forged Sale Agreement for Land Parcel Number KJD/KEEKONYOKIE/ILKISUMET/3371, between Andrew Immanuel Simiyu as the vendor and Alguns Limited as the purchaser, purporting it to be a genuine Sale Agreement signed by Andrew Immanuel Simiyu as the vendor.
He was released on a bond of Sh1 million or cash bail of Sh200,000 pending hearing and determination of the criminal case.
According to the DCI, As per the agreement, Ndeda & Company was stated to be acting on behalf of both the Vendor and the purchaser where the vendor had agreed to sell the property for a price of Sh60 million with Sh5 million being the initial deposit to be paid within 90 days.
DCI further said It was also established that, according to the agreement, the purchaser was Alguns Limited.
However, the funds were sent by a different entity in the name of Algans Eood whose address is in Sofia Bulgaria.
It was further established that Algun Ltd is a company whose main business is arms trading a fact which led to suspicion of an international syndicate of money laundering and possible arms smuggling.
DCI further indicate funds were wired to the advocate’s Nairobi bank account, which was immediately reversed to the sender on account of non-compliance with the bank’s internal policies and regulatory guidelines on money laundering and reporting of suspicious transactions.
The Land Grabbing.
In 2022, GA Insurance reached out to then DCI boss Amin Mohamed after lawyers handling the matter accused senior detectives of colluding to protect “grabbers”.
Attempts by GA Insurance to take possession of the land registered as LR number 209/10601/12 got futile with the alleged illegal occupants led by lawyer Stephen Juma Ndeda, businessman Abdub Diba Boru, Diba Boru Jaldesa and Stella Nyamu hired goons to evict GA Insurance staff on site.
The matter was reported for investigations at Embakasi DCI office where the aggrieved party cited frustrations even as the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) wrote to the Ministry of Lands seeking details of the property following an attempt to subdivide it.
The goons brought down a fence erected by GA staff.
Preliminary findings revealed GA bought the land from Economic Industries Limited, which had purchased it from Eldo Dwellers Limited for Sh9 million in 2005.
Eldo Dwellers bought the property from the original owners, Sadru Musa Ramji and Yasmin Sadru Musa Ramji, in 2004.
“On March 19, 2021 Dikus Transporters put excavators on the property and begun excavating the land and prepared the land for development with what GA Insurance regards as a fraudulent title. On the same day Dikus Transporters also loaded GA Insurance’s building materials into their trucks and which incident was reported at Embakasi police station,” GA argued.
The Insurance firm produced as evidence, a search from the Ministry of Lands and a copy of the title to back its claim.
The underwriter had planned to fence the prime property on March 12, 2021 but found Dikus Transporters director Diba Boru on site with a group of young men.
The group attacked workers who were to put up the fence, and destroyed building materials worth Sh675,000.
Dikus officials and Ndeda produced title deeds claiming ownership of the Sh400 million property, documents whose validity was contested.
The title held by Dikus indicated that the firm bought the land from Ndeda in 2020, and that the lawyer acquired the property from an individual named David Mutinda based in Mombasa.
Mutinda’s claim was contested as irregular with an individual identified as Jattani Waqo said to have acted as an agent for GA accused of colluding with officials at the Ministry of Lands.
While acting for GA during the transfer of the land from Economic Industries Limited, Waqo and an Auctioneer identified as Kennedy Ngumbao were each paid Sh4million as commission.
Waqo is said to have been contacted by GA as a caretaker of the land in question and paid a monthly salary of Sh60,000 for four years. It is during the period the claimant argued Waqo colluded to irregularly transfer the parcel.
Company registration documents indicated Dikus Transporters was incorporated on 12th February 2013 under CPR number /2013/94611.
Its directors are listed as Stella Nyamu, Abdub Diba Boru and Diba Boru Jaldesa.
GA said Boru was arrested for bringing down the perimeter fence but latter released under unclear circumstances. They further protested what it termed as reluctance by the Public Prosecutor to prosecute the matter.
Former Finance Cabinet Secretary who was linked the firm denied claims as unfounded.
On December 1, 2022, GA through lawyer Paul Mwangi wrote to EACC accusing three Ardhi House officials of receiving Sh20 million bribe to defraud the fir of its land.
“Utterly shocking is that two individuals, Stephen Juma Ndeda and one Mr. Jatani Waqo have turned Mr Billow Mohammed a land registrar’s office into their office. Equally despite being transferred from the Ministry of Lands, OWINO JACOB CATTWRIGHT has constantly been to the land offices since complaints against the issuance of the said titles was reported to the DCI. We find this to be peculiar and his presence can only be explained to have an intent to achieve an ulterior motive,” Mwangi told the EACC.
On December 2022, Principal Land Registrar Edwin Wafula wrote to Lawyer Ndeda saying the title to the land was issued based on misrepresentation of facts that misled his office.
“The above title was obtained by fraud and forgery. The Genuine proprietor in respect of the above land is GA Insurance limited. In view of the foregoing, therefore the said Title and any subdivisions if any is hereby cancelled as provided for under Section 79(2) of the Land Registration Act 2012,” Wafula said.
Joseph Ndeda has been collaborating with Agnes Kagure former Nairobi Deputy Governor as part of the land cartel in Nairobi as they have several court cases and bloody hands for their appetites in land grabbing, money laundering and fraud to sustain their flashy lifestyles.
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