Detectives investigating land fraud have arrested a woman accused of unlawfully acquiring and selling a parcel of land belonging to a deceased person’s estate.

Agnes Wairimu Gachanja was arrested on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in Ruiru while attending a defence hearing in a separate land fraud case being investigated by the Land Fraud Investigations Unit (LFIU).

According to investigators, the latest case was reported by two administrators of their late father’s estate, who died in 2008.

The administrators reportedly discovered the alleged irregular transfer while conducting an official search at the Thika Land Registry as part of the succession process.

The search allegedly revealed that a parcel measuring approximately 0.0825 hectares in Juja Farm had been transferred to an unknown individual without the administrators’ knowledge or consent.

Investigations by the LFIU subsequently established that the property had allegedly been sold for Sh800,000.

Following completion of the investigations, a duplicate police file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for review.

The ODPP concurred with the investigators’ recommendation that Gachanja face three charges: conspiracy to defraud, uttering false documents, and intermeddling with the property of a deceased person.

The suspect was processed and is scheduled to appear before the Ruiru Law Courts on Thursday, August 20, 2026, where she is expected to take plea.

The case has once again highlighted the vulnerability of deceased estates to alleged fraudulent transfers and sales, particularly during succession proceedings.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has reiterated its commitment to pursuing individuals suspected of illegally acquiring, transferring or disposing of property belonging to deceased persons.

Gachanja remains a suspect and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of law.