A Nairobi court has acquitted former Lands minister Amos Kimunya and his co-accused in a Sh60 million graft case over the alleged irregular allocation of public land to Midlands Limited.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Magistrate Harrison Baraso found that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The court ruled that the evidence presented did not establish any criminal intent or irregularity in the land allocation process.
Kimunya, who served as Lands minister between 2005 and 2008, was charged alongside former commissioner of lands Sammy Mwangi and Midlands Limited director Joseph Mwangi. The three faced charges of abuse of office and fraudulent acquisition of public land valued at Sh60 million in Nairobi's upscale area of Karen.
The case, which has been in court since 2010, involved allegations that the land was allocated to Midlands Limited without following proper procedures. The court noted that the allocation was done in accordance with the law and that there was no evidence of corruption or collusion.
Speaking after the acquittal, Kimunya welcomed the ruling, saying it vindicated his position that the charges were politically motivated. The Director of Public Prosecutions has not indicated whether it will appeal the decision.
