Taj Mall survives demolition as road expansion plan redesigned

The Government has asked owners of premises along Outer Ring Road that are on sections earmarked for the Eastern Bypass expansion to vacate with immediate effect.

Speaking to Citizen TV, National Lands Commission Chairman Dr. Mohammed Swazuri said title deeds for the said properties have been revoked and the constructor is expected on site in the coming days.

This maybe good news to commuters but it is not the same for property owners whose buildings have been earmarked for demolition to pave way for the expansion of the Outer Ring Road.

“We gazetted this last week and all the title deeds have been revoked. They have to move immediately,” said Swazuri.

One such building that was on the list of structures to be brought down is Taj Mall, the huge shopping mall in Nairobi’s Embakasi area.

Part of the building is said to be on a road reserve. The tenants have been living in fear ever since they received the news that part of the building will be demolished.

“We are living in disarray, we don’t know our fate,” said Jeff Ambudo, a tenant.

But the tenants can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) revealed that the mall will not be demolished after the Eastern Bypass was re-designed.

However, Swazuri maintained that the building is on a road reserve and maybe demolished.

“This does not mean that the building is not on road reserve when time comes it will have to go,” said Swazuri.

Efforts to talk to the building’s management did not bear fruit as the Director was not in the office. The government has called on private developers who would like to acquire land to ensure due diligence before buying or being allocated any parcel of land.

The contractors are already on site and several houses, two petrol stations and a supermarket are expected to be demolished next week as work to expand the crucial Outer Ring Road kicks off in earnest.