The Kenya African National Union (KANU) Party has lost ownership of the land housing the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

The Environment and Lands Court in Milimani, Nairobi, on Monday, June 3 ruled that the independence party acquired the land illegally and unlawfully.

Consequently, Justice Jacqueline Mogeni revoked the title issued to the party in 1989, and ruled that the land belongs to the government — through the Ministry of Tourism.

“The allocation of the property to KANU without following legal procedure is unlawful and illegal,” Justice Mogeni ruled.

KANU had in 2020 filed a petition seeking to get back the land and the KICC building. The party had been kicked out of the premises through an executive order in February 2003.

In court documents, KANU had stated that it was allocated the land on May 10, 1969 by the commissioner of lands. The party also told the court that it went on to acquire a title deed to the land on May 25, 1989.

However, Justice Mogeni said that the party did not provide evidence of the procedure used to alienate and then allocate public land to a political party.

The judge also ruled that commissioner of lands overstepped his/her mandate in alienating and allocating the property to KANU.