Granny, 81, lives in fear amid fight for her father's stolen Sh1.2b land

An 81-year-old grandmother is at her wits’ end in her quest for her inheritance worth billions of shillings, following the appropriation of prime land in Nairobi County by “strangers.”

Consequently, Litha Katumbi is now crying out to the government to assist her regain two prime pieces of land measuring 12 acres near City Cabanas, off Mombasa Road, which is estimated to be about Sh1.2 billion. The land, Litha claims, has been taken over by some shadowy companies using fabricated documents.

In a letter addressed to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eliud Lagat, dated September 8, the grandmother accuses some police and administration officers in Embakasi of conspiring with the invaders to occupy the land she and her sister Amina Mbula, 67, were bequeathed by their father, John Kathumba Makuthi.

Kathumba, a former freedom fighter and a confidant of Kenya’s first President, Jomo Kenyatta, owned an estimated 6,000 acres around the area where Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is located today. Kathumba died in 1989,  leaving his estate under his second wife Beatrice Syokau.

The family’s quest to secure this inheritance has been torturous, long, and tragic.

Trouble came calling on March 2, 2010 when Syokau, who was fighting off attempts to take over her land, was abducted from her home near City Cabanas and held incommunicado for four years.

Her body was later discovered at Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary on July 3, 2014 by one of her stepdaughters, Mukonyo Kathumba. In the meantime, the family realised that some vital documents for some of the land had vanished from her home and the Lands registry. 

By the time Syokau was being buried in 2019, the government was preparing to pay her estate about Sh3 billion as compensation for the compulsory acquisition of 129 acres for the expansion of JKIA.

In her latest distress call to the police, Litha fears that she may suffer the same fate as her stepmother in the hands of the shadowy figures illegally occupying  LR no.209/21691 and LR No. 209/21692 situated along Mombasa Road.  

Litha’s letter through Huma Forensic Investigations Bureau, a human rights organisation, reads,” The complainant has been receiving life threats to desist from following the matter pertaining to the land or face severe consequences, abduction and death.”

One such threat was reported to Embakasi Police Station via OB No.78/20/08/2025 but no action has ever been taken, even after Litha and her witnesses recorded statements. 

Ironically, land ownership documents at Ardhi House and Nairobi County land offices show that Litha is the registered owner of the disputed parcels and that she is supposed to pay approximately Sh15 million as land rates.

Official searches conducted on the title deed No. 21692  measuring 2.399 hectares (5.99 acres) showed it was registered in the names of Litha Katumbi Muli of Mitamboni. The title had been issued on January 1, 1988  for a period of 99 years.

A similar search on LR no. 21692, conducted on November 17, 2022 also showed Litha Katumbi Muli was the registered owner of the 2.399 hectare piece of land for a period of 99 years commencing on January 1, 1988.

Litha and her sister, Mbula, had been granted letters to administer their parent’s estate on November 12, 2014 following the conclusion of succession case no. 980 /2014 by High court judge, W. Musyoka.

The certificate of confirmation of grant reads: “I hereby certify that the above written grant of representation to the estate of the late John Kathumba Makuthi issued to Litha Katumbi and Amina Mbula Katumbi, herein named has this November, 11, 2015 been confirmed by the court pursuant to the provisions of section 71 of the laws of Kenya.”

The certificate, issued by High Court judge L.A Achode further provided that the deceased’s estate be distributed jointly and equally between the two sisters.  

Senior Assistant Chief  David Musembi Nyunzu of Mathunya sub-Location in Mitamboni, who wrote an introduction letter for Kathumba family to facilitate the succession case told The Sunday Standard that he had known Litha and the entire family well as he was a neighbour.

He explained that Kathumba died in 1989 and was succeeded by two wives.

Since Syokau’s death in 2014, Litha had furtively knocked on numerous doors to reclaim her father’s estate.

She had been to the National Lands Commission (NLC) who had upon probing the matter confirmed on January 25, 2018 that Litha was the legal registered owner of LR No. 21691.

The letter signed by Aseri Kirungu on behalf of the NLC chairman read in part,” This is to inform you that the process of preparing the title deed for the above parcel, LR 21691 is ongoing.

‘‘When the title is ready, you will be notified to visit the land registrar’s office for your title.”

At one point, the current director of criminal investigations, Mohamed Amin, had probed the saga after Internal Affairs Unit, which he was heading then received complaints  from Litha that some Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had conspired with the grabbers.

In his letter to Nairobi Region Criminal Investigations Officer dated February 11, 2022, Amin wrote,” some officers at DCI headquarters intervened on the matter.” 

At the time, Amin had given the Regional Criminal Investigations Officer, Nairobi region, two weeks expeditiously resolve  the case of illegal occupation and use of the two parcels of land by a company whose directors had promised to compensate Litha but later used DCI to intimidate her.