An Eldoret court has postponed the hearing of a high-profile land fraud case involving a multi-billion shilling parcel of military land after one of the accused, an 82-year-old retired primary school head teacher, cited ill health and bereavement.
Appearing before Presiding Chief Magistrate Dennis Mikoyan, the elderly accused, Wilson Too, also known as Chepsilongei, told the court he was unwell and unable to sit through the proceedings. He also revealed that he was still mourning the loss of a close family member buried just two weeks ago.
“Your honor, I pray that you defer the hearing of my case because I am not ready to proceed. I have developed health complications this morning and I’m also still in mourning,” Too told the court, speaking in visible discomfort.
Too is charged alongside Dr. Charles Walekhwa, a long-serving medical officer formerly attached to the now-defunct Eldoret Municipal Council, and Kibere Kisorio, a prominent cereal farmer. The three are accused of conspiring to fraudulently acquire more than 700 hectares of Kenya Defence Forces land, registered as LR NO 276/6 IR NO 194659, located on the outskirts of Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County.
According to court records, the alleged offence took place on January 1, 2006. The accused are also facing charges of forging a land certificate, which they allegedly passed off as a genuine document issued by the Director of Survey.
The prosecution, which had lined up five key witnesses including a retired military colonel and a senior detective from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi, expressed readiness to proceed with the hearing.
However, in light of the accused's health claims and his assurance that he would seek medical attention and be present at the next hearing, Magistrate Mikoyan allowed the adjournment and set the case for mention on July 17, 2025.
The case has attracted significant public and legal attention due to the value and strategic importance of the land in question, which has been the subject of protracted legal battles and alleged title deed forgeries.
The fight over the prime military property intensified five years ago when DCI officers arrested Too and his co-accused. They were held at Eldoret Central Police Station before being formally charged in court with fraud and forgery-related offences.
As the legal proceedings continue, the case is expected to provide a major test for the justice system’s handling of historical land fraud schemes involving public and military assets.
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