Mombasa mosque faces demolition after court ruling
Masjid Bilal, located in Shimanzi is said to stand on a parcel of land belonging to Kenya Railways
A mosque in Mombasa faces possible demolition following a court ruling that declared it was constructed on land belonging to Kenya Railways.
Masjid Bilal, located in the Shimanzi area, is said to stand on a parcel of land that the court determined had been reserved for railway tenants and future road expansion. According to court documents, the land was unlawfully allocated in 1994 to Zaharia Mohamed Mawia and later transferred to third parties.
On February 13, 2026, the Environment and Land Court (ELC) declared the allocations illegal, cancelled the land titles, and ordered that the property — valued at Sh175 million — be returned to public ownership.
In a press briefing issued on Monday, February 23, 2026, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said it would take steps to recover the land for public use.
“This recovery follows a court decision secured through cooperation with Kenya Railways. The parcels had been unlawfully carved out of railway property and later passed on to private parties, but the ruling has now returned them to public hands,” said David Too, Director of Legal Services at the Commission.
Individuals named in the case have been granted a 90-day window to appeal the ruling. Should they fail to do so, the Commission will move to enforce the court orders.