Kenya: Taj Mall's Fate Sealed As Demolition Set to Begin This Week

By Collins Omulo

Nairobi Regeneration committee head of operations Julius Wanjau has said the demolition of Airgate Center, formerly Taj Mall, will begin in the course of this week.

This comes after a 14-day notice given to the development's management to demolish the building by a multi-sectoral committee on unsafe buildings expired last week on August 30.

Mr Wanjau said the multi-agency team involved in the demolition of buildings erected on riparian land will embark on flattening the structure immediately they are done with the demolition of South End Mall. However, he was not specific on the day.

He said that the delay, as the notice had expired on Thursday last week, has been occasioned by the task force concentrating on the completion of other buildings already started including South End Mall.

"We are still doing South End Mall and we are hopeful to clear it before next week. We have given the owners ample time to comply with the notice before we move in starting next week. The demolition of Airgate will take place anytime within the week but we will communicate on the same," Mr Wanjau said on Sunday.

Last week, however, the management of the property remained defiant, even in the face of the impending demolition saying that they will not move.

On August 16, a multi-sectoral committee on unsafe buildings gave the proprietor of the development Rameshchandra Govino Gorasia a 14-day notice to bring down the six-floor building, said to be standing on a road reserve.

According to Mr Nyakiongora, the building situated at the junction of Outer Ring Road, has encroached on the road reserve hindering its continual expansion.

"For us it is business as usual as we are continuing with our business. We are still operational and we have not even moved our offices," said Mr Mogire on Thursday last week at the premise.

But the manager of the multi-billion building Amos Mogire said that they do not recognize the notice that was signed by multi-sectoral committee chaired by Mr Moses Nyakiongora claiming that it had no letterhead, no LR number and no stamp.