Gov't Demolishes Multi-Million Shilling Ukay Mall in Westlands

Ukay Centre in Westlands, Nairobi has become the latest multi-million shilling building to face the wrath of a bulldozer as government intensifies crackdown on illegal structures in the city.

A bulldozer arrived at the scene on Friday morning and began bringing it down, this coming a day after the High Court declined to issue orders to block its demolition.

The structure was flattened under tight security as management, tenants and workers were blocked from accessing the building estimated to be worth around Sh900million.

“There is no river whatsoever under the building, what is there is a stream which is at the back of the building,” Pejul Shah, one of the owners said on Friday as he watched his building being brought down.

On Thursday, a section of tenants including Nakumatt were seen removing their stock from the premises after news of its demolition quickly spread out. Nakumatt is one of the main tenants of the building that was constructed in 1994.

Appearing before a Parliamentary committee on Thursday, Ukay Centre managers tabled documents showing the construction of the structure had been approved by all relevant authorities including the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

Ukay Mall is said to have been built atop one of the Nairobi River tributaries. So far, the government has demolished Shell petrol station and Java outlet in Kileleshwa, and Southend Mall on Lang'ata road.

On Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said all buildings constructed on riparian land will be demolished and ordered for arrest and prosecution of state officials who approved their setting up.

"We will continue to demolish properties constructed on riparian lands, equally punish officials who made approvals for those properties."

“ I want to assure you that we are going after all those who issued those permits. Those ones will be prosecuted… Be they county officials, lands officials or NEMA officials, they will be prosecuted because they are equally to fault as those who build," said the President.