This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
The Nairobi County Government has finally received the green light to complete the demolition of the Grand Manor hotel in Gigiri, a multi-million shilling property owned by businessman Praful Kumar.
The Court of Appeal issued orders on Monday allowing the demolition to proceed, citing the hotel as a security threat to the adjacent United Nations offices.
The hotel's location, opposite the US Embassy and the UN headquarters, has been a point of contention, with foreign missions previously writing to City Hall and the Foreign Affairs ministry to protest its construction.
Additionally, the Gigiri Village Association had filed a complaint in July 2015, alleging that the construction of a commercial structure in the area violated physical planning regulations for the low-density estate.
The controversy surrounding the hotel hit headlines in August after Mr. Kumar was arrested by anti-corruption detectives in Kilifi on claims that he intended to bribe Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko not to demolish the property.
Mr. Kumar was charged with three counts of bribery before Senior Principal Magistrate Henry Nyakweba on August 24, 2019, and denied the charges, being released on a Sh1 million bond.
