A Nairobi court has ruled against tycoon Mike Maina's effort to halt the demolition of his Marble Arch Hotel, stating his legal team failed to follow required dispute resolution protocols before filing the case.
The 2022 decision comes after former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko's administration asserted in 2018 that both the hotel and adjacent parking area occupied public land. County officials had removed a fence around the parking lot, sparking the conflict.
Justice Lucy Mbugua emphasized that Maina's Muthihi Investments should have first engaged the county's liaison committee before initiating legal action. "The court ruled the case lacked merit due to procedural oversights," she stated.
Documents show the disputed land originally functioned as a public toilet under the Nairobi County Fire Station. The county government has reclaimed over 200 parking spaces in the Central Business District as part of its land restoration efforts since 2018.
County officials maintained that structures built on public land would face demolition, a stance reiterated during the 2019 attempt by Maina's company to rebuild a perimeter wall. The administration argued such actions violated land ownership laws.
