Nairobi court approves demolition of multi-million Grand Manor Hotel

Nairobi court approves demolition of multi-million Grand Manor Hotel

A Nairobi court has issued orders allowing the Nairobi County Government to demolish the multi-million worth Grand Manor hotel situated in the upmarket area of Gigiri.

The court on Tuesday ruled that the hotel owned by businessman Praful Kumar is a security threat to the adjacent United Nations offices.

The controversy surrounding the Grand Manor hotel hit headlines in August this year when Mr. Kumar was arrested by EACC officials in Kilifi County, on allegations that he intended to bribe Governor Mike Sonko to dissuade him from demolishing the property.

The hotel is situated opposite the US Embassy on one side, and the United Nations head offices on the other side. On its left, is the High Commission of Botswana and on the right is the Embassy of Morocco stretching to its backyard.

Its proximity to the embassies is one the major reasons for the push to have it brought down, as the foreign missions have in the past written to the county government and the foreign affairs ministry to protest its construction.

In August this year, Citizen TV established that the Gigiri Village Association had filed a complaint in July 2015, lamenting that the putting up of a commercial structure in the area violated physical planning regulations for the low-density estate.

Residents argued that the area should be limited to low residential, one-family houses as it had no facilities to support the hotel.

In December 2016, the county government demanded proof of public participation of the residents and the embassies threatening to cancel the approval.

The Interior Ministry, in August 2017, wrote to the County Government of Nairobi seeking technical advise as some of the embassies had threatened to move their bases from Nairobi were the matter not to be resolved.

In December last year, the county government wrote to the Foreign Affairs Ministry confirming that the developer had not shown evidence of consultations with the embassy.

A spot check by Citizen TV in August showed that construction of the multi-million facility was nearing completion, with the hotel already equipping some of the rooms ready to open the doors to its clients.

The governor had previously asked the developer to demolish the floors above the second floor in keeping with city regulations for the area. But that may interfere with the integrity of the building.

Additional reporting by Sam Gituku

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