A long-standing commercial dispute between SBS Dunhill Group (East Africa) Limited and property owners of Senteu Plaza has taken a dramatic turn following revelations of rent arrears, allegations of forgery, and ongoing criminal proceedings.
SBS Dunhill Group had leased office premises on the first floor of Senteu Plaza, a building owned by Ajeetkumar C. Shah and others (ACS), from October 2017. Forgery claims, frozen funds, and a contested lease put flamboyant city businessman Chris Obure in legal crosshairs over a high-profile Nairobi property dispute.
The lease expired in August 2023.
However, throughout the lease period, SBS Dunhill repeatedly defaulted on rent payments, often citing government action such as freezing of its bank accounts as justification for the delays.
In November 2022, SBS Meriton Group, an affiliate of SBS Dunhill, instructed its sister company to initiate negotiations to purchase Senteu Plaza upon expiry of the lease.
Advocates for SBS Dunhill formally expressed interest in purchasing either the entire building or just the first floor.
ACS, through its legal representatives, rejected the offer and clarified that the building was not for sale.
Nevertheless, ACS indicated it would consider any lease renewal proposals.
Although the lease expired in August 2023, SBS Dunhill continued to occupy the premises unlawfully and failed to remit any rent to ACS.
This led to the accumulation of arrears amounting to over Kshs. 47 million. Consequently, on May 16, 2025, ACS secured an eviction order from the Business Premises Rent Tribunal in Case No. E178 of 2025.
In a separate suit filed before the Environment and Land Court, SBS Dunhill is seeking, among other remedies, a declaration that it had a legitimate expectation to purchase Senteu Plaza.
During a hearing held on March 17, 2025, SBS Dunhill's representative, flamboyant city businessman Chris Obure, admitted under oath that the company had not paid rent since September 2023.
SBS Dunhill also claimed to have paid Kshs. 981 million towards the purchase of the property.
The company was unable to produce concrete evidence of such payments.
The documents presented were internal records referencing payments allegedly made by affiliated entities, which ACS denied receiving.
Mr. Pankaj Shah, a director of ACS, testified that no such payments were made, and instead produced correspondence showing SBS Dunhill had requested leniency due to its financial difficulties.
The matter was complicated by evidence presented during the court proceedings indicating that documents used by SBS Dunhill to support its ownership claims were forged.
A forensic document examiner testified that both the signature of the late Mr. Chhandulal Shah, a former director of ACS, and the company’s official stamp had been fraudulently replicated on the documents presented by SBS Dunhill.
Following these revelations, Obure has been charged in a criminal case with multiple offences such as forgery, conspiracy to commit a felony, giving false information to a public officer, and uttering a false document.
The charges are linked to the documents used in the failed property acquisition attempt.
Adding to the complexity, the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) obtained orders to freeze funds allegedly paid by SBS Dunhill, citing suspicion that the monies were proceeds of crime.
This matter is pending in the Chief Magistrate’s Anti-Corruption Court under Misc. Criminal Application No. E150 of 2023.
The Environment and Land Court suit has now reached its final stages, with the defence closing its case on July 9, 2025.
The court has directed both parties to file their written submissions.
The matter is scheduled to be mentioned in October to confirm compliance and to set a judgment date.
The unfolding saga continues to draw attention to corporate accountability, property fraud, and enforcement of commercial leases in Kenya’s real estate sector.