A Mombasa woman has been charged with defrauding a landowner of two prime plots at Shelly Beach in Likoni, in a case prosecutors say involves property worth about Sh100 million and stretches back nearly two decades.

Farzana Nur Butt appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Gladys Olimo in Mombasa on Tuesday, 21 October 2026, and denied all the charges, Citizen Digital and Radio Kaya reported. She was released on a Sh1 million bond with a surety of a similar amount.

The charges

According to the charge sheet as reported by the two outlets, the complainant is Susan Wanjiru Kangethe, the owner of land parcels Mombasa/MS/Block 1/1944 and Mombasa/MS/Block 1/1945 in the Shelly Beach area of Likoni.

On the first count, Ms Butt is accused of conspiring with others to defraud Ms Kangethe of the two parcels between 12 July 2006 and 20 October 2026 within the Coast region. Citizen Digital reported that two of her relatives, Jamshed Ahmed Butt and Fahmeda Begum Butt, were named in the charge but were not before the court.

Prosecutors further allege that she obtained registration of the land by false pretences, causing the two parcels to be registered in the names of the same relatives using information she allegedly knew to be false.

A separate allegation, reported by both outlets, is that she inserted a lease title, Mombasa/MS/Block 1/416, into records at the Mombasa Land Registry on 12 July 2006 with the intention of depriving Ms Kangethe of her property.

The final count is forcible entry. Radio Kaya reported that she is accused of entering the Shelly Beach premises without the registered owner’s authority between 9 July 2025 and 20 October 2026.

Bond and next steps

During the plea, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Breda Ogada asked the court to set bond terms that reflected the seriousness of the charges, Radio Kaya reported. The defence asked for reasonable terms, telling the court that the accused has a fixed abode within the court’s jurisdiction.

Magistrate Olimo granted the Sh1 million bond and directed that the matter be mentioned on 12 November 2026 for a pre-trial conference.

The charges are allegations only. Ms Butt has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court.

A familiar problem at the Coast

Land fraud remains one of the most common sources of court disputes in Mombasa, where beachfront and near-beach land on the South Coast commands high prices. Cases often turn on the integrity of records held at land registries, with complainants alleging that documents were inserted or altered years before the fraud came to light.

The Likoni case follows other prosecutions in the county involving high-value land. In September 2025, two Mombasa businessmen were charged with conspiring to defraud a hotel of land valued at about Sh100 million, The Star reported at the time. That case is not linked to the Shelly Beach matter.

The Ministry of Lands has in recent years urged buyers and owners to run official searches and verify records before transacting, and to report suspicious changes to registry entries.

The case returns to court on 12 November, when the prosecution and defence are expected to update the court on the exchange of witness statements and documents ahead of the trial.

Photos: Farzana Nur Butt in court, Citizen Digital; Shelly Beach, Mombasa, Wikimedia Commons.