This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Published on July 10, 2020, a notice in local dailies directed auctioneers to recover property from the Century Plaza cinema hall over rent arrears from IMAX 20th Century movie theatre.
The cinema, located on Mama Ngina Street in Nairobi's CBD, has been closed since March, when the first case of Covid-19 was announced in the country.
Anga IMAX management has disputed the rent amount claimed by the landlord, stating it has accrued during the pandemic period and includes advance rent payable up to August.
They also claimed the landlord holds a deposit in cash of twice the amount sought to be recovered at the auction.
In a statement, the owners of the theater blamed the landlord for placing an auction notice without notifying them, while they were still negotiating.
“It is shocking that the landlord insists on closing us down and auctioning our property,” part of the statement reads.
Anga IMAX assured their clients, creditors, and business partners that their lawyers were pursuing the matter in court and hoped the two parties would reach an amicable solution.
