Forgery ring busted: Three in court over fake title deeds, stamps

Three men, including an official attached to the Government Printer, were on Thursday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi to face 18 criminal charges related to forgery, making false documents and unlawful possession of government stores.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) preferred the charges against Livingstone Ambani Munala, Leonard Clifford Wafula and Paul Muigai Kimani.

Munala faces 13 counts, including seven related to the forgery of official stamps and possession of public stores, as well as two counts of making false documents.

According to the prosecution, on March 28, 2025, Munala was found at a residence along Desai Road in Starehe Sub-County in possession of instruments capable of producing stamp impressions in the names of various land officials.

These included stamps bearing the names and codes of I.R. Jeptanui (439), C.S. Maina (235), V. Njane (478), Mochonge O. Nicholas (014), A.W. Mararia (271) and C.N. Kituyi (215), which he allegedly intended to pass off as genuine stamps belonging to land registrars and administrators.

He is further accused of forging two title deeds, serial numbers 29131 and 3894792, and presenting them as genuine documents issued by the Government Printer.

Additionally, Munala was allegedly found in possession of various government documents, including blank land title forms, receipts, and nine green cards bearing serial number (L) 298 from the State Department for Lands.

These items are suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.

Meanwhile, Leonard Clifford Wafula, an official at the Government Printer and Paul Muigai Kimani were each charged with being in unlawful possession of public stores.

The court heard that on March 28, 2025, Mr. Wafula was found with an International Certificate of Vaccination issued by the Ministry of Health at his residence in Umoja, Nairobi.

Kimani was allegedly found with two file covers belonging to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which are also suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.

The three suspects pleaded not guilty before Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhumbi.

The case is being prosecuted by Norah Achieng.

Munala was released on a bond of Ksh 3 million, while Wafula and Kimani were each granted a bond of Ksh 600,000.