The legal walls are closing in on a decades-long land dispute as former Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Davis Nathan Chelogoi failed in his latest attempt to pivot the direction of his Sh1.3 billion fraud trial.
On Wednesday, a Nairobi court rejected Chelogoi’s bid to block Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego from concluding the case. The ruling marks a “major blow” to the former presidential advisor, who had hoped the case would be reassigned following Alego’s administrative transfer.
The Dispute at a Glance At the heart of the storm is a prime 8-acre estate in Lower Kabete. While Chelogoi claims he was legally allocated the land nearly 30 years ago, businessman Ashok Rupshi Shah has long maintained he is the rightful owner—a claim already backed by the Environment and Land Court.
-
The Defense: Chelogoi must now continue his defense before Hon. Alego, the same magistrate who issued an arrest warrant for him earlier in the proceedings when he failed to appear for plea-taking.
-
Pending Issues: The court also noted that a pending application for Alego’s recusal must still be addressed before the trial can reach its final verdict.
With the prosecution’s case already fully documented, the return of the original magistrate signals that a final judgment on the ownership of one of Nairobi’s most expensive residential plots is finally within sight.