State hands over prime Upper Hill police land to Scouts, St John's Ambulance
National
By
Catherine Imuraget
| Apr 10, 2026
State House, Nairobi., [File courtesy]
In a brazen land grab move, the government has shut down and degazetted the Capitol Hill Police Station, with a source intimating that the Head of Public Service asked the Inspector General of Police to surrender the land.
The prime two-acre piece of land worth an estimated Sh1 billion has been allocated to St John’s Ambulance and the Kenya Scouts Association, who will build a centre of operation there.
Land in Upper Hill, Nairobi, is among the most expensive in the city, with an average price of approximately Sh554.6 million per acre as of late 2025.
Prices typically range from Sh350 million to over Sh600 million for an acre, heavily influenced by location and suitability for high-rise commercial or residential developments.
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The Kenya Scouts have a two-room scouts shop near Parliament Buildings, but the organisation also owns 89 acres of prime land, mostly forested, in the Jamhuri area bordering Kibera.
More than 50 police officers were displaced and redeployed to various police stations after authorities announced the closure of the facility. Police authorities said they had been informed that the station was degazetted.
The move prompted the immediate relocation of officers and the closure of operations at the facility.
The Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Tusca Opondo, instructed all officers there to vacate the premises within the shortest time possible following their redeployment to other stations.
“Capitol Hill Police Station has been officially degazetted, and as a result, I, the Officer Commanding Station, have been instructed to vacate the premises within the shortest time possible,” the statement read in part.
The OCS ordered all multi-agency investigators with pending cases and exhibits currently held at the station to collect them without delay.
“I am instructed to request that all multi-agency investigators with pending cases and exhibits, including motor vehicles, currently held at this station, arrange to collect them immediately,” Mr Opondo stated in the memo shared among the police.
Members of the public with pending cash bail deposits were also advised to collect their refunds promptly before the funds are surrendered to the National Treasury.
Nairobi Police Commander Issa Mohamud said the move was a normal police occurrence.
“That is normal, and the affected officers have been redeployed elsewhere,” he said.
A spot check by The Standard established that operations at the Capitol Hill Police Station are winding down following its official gazetting. Despite the directive, observations made on Thursday at around 11 a.m. indicated that several motor vehicles were still stationed within the compound.
The facility also appeared partially operational, with a small number of uniformed police officers on duty. The OCS, Tusca Opondo, was reportedly present in the office at the time.
There were no large crowds at the station, though a few individuals were seen retrieving their belongings, while others exited the premises with items believed to be previously held there.
Efforts to get an official explanation from Opondo were unsuccessful. The OCS declined to comment on the reasons behind the move, stating that he was not authorised to brief the media.
The station had at least 50 police officers and was under the Kilimani Sub-County. The affected officers were absorbed into other stations, including Kilimani, Kibra, KICC and Central.
The station is located in Upper Hill, and the land had initially been touted to be turned into the headquarters of police operations in the city. It served the residents of Upper Hill, who will now be forced to seek policing services in Kilimani.
Nairobi has more than 100 stations, which are manned by sub-county commanders who report to sub-regional commanders, who in turn report to the regional commander. The regional commander reports to the Deputy Inspector General of Police.