Owners of Sarit Centre shopping mall have been ordered to stop construction of its Sh4 billion wing which is said to have encroached on a public road, dealing a major blow to the expansion.
Nairobi County issued the directive yesterday in a letter addressed to the management of the business complex, which is located in the upmarket Westlands shopping centre.
City Hall wants the owners of the complex to furnish the director of parking services with proof of allocation and approval of plans for verification, while stating that the latest extension had eaten into Mikinduri Road.
Sarit Centre Director Nitin Shah declined to comment on the matter Thursday, saying he was busy and would only talk next week.
“It is noted that you have ignored the said order and continued to construct on a public road at Sarit Centre with impunity thus denying the public the use of the said road,” says the Nairobi County Director for Parking Services, Tom Tinega, in the letter.
“You are further informed that encroachment of public land is a criminal offence and any proof of allocation and approval of plans should be submitted immediately to the director of Parking for verification,” he says.
Wave of demolitions
The future of the new wing which has been under construction is uncertain given the wave of demolitions that have hit the city over the past few months.
The shopping complex, which opened its doors in April 1983, was founded by two close friends — Sobhagayachand Vidhu Shah (Nitin’s father) and Maneklal Rughani. The new wing being constructed adjacent to the existing mall is set to add an extra 300,000 square feet of space.
Some of the retailers who have expressed interest in moving into the new shopping centre are Turkey’s fashion label LC Waikiki, South Africa’s Woolworths and French retailer Carrefour.
Carrefour is set to move to a bigger space at the mall’s new wing after completion.