Demolition of Taj Mall Underway for Road Project

Early Saturday, a hammer-fitted SANY excavator descended on Airgate Centre, formerly Taj Mall – one of the most famous malls in Nairobi – as the long-awaited demolition of the condemned building finally got underway.

The operation that is being overseen by the Nairobi Regeneration Team began at 6.30 am.

Crews began by ripping into the walls of the western edge of Taj Mall with hammers in a dramatic exercise that marks the end of the once successful shopping centre in Embakasi.

Later in the day, two more excavators were brought into the site to beef up the operation that attracted a sea of scrap metal scavengers and looters.

On August 16, the State’s committee on unsafe buildings gave Ramesh Gorasia, the owner of the mall that sits at the North Airport Road and Outering Road junction, up to August 30 to demolish the structure failing which the government would smash it at his risk and costs.

Taj Mall, which was officially opened in August 2011, is said to have encroached on the road reserve and wayleave hampering the upgrade of the Outering Road.

“Upon the expiry of this notice, the illegal development will be demolished or removed from the road reserve and wayleave at the owners’/developers’ risk and cost,” read the letter signed by the Multi-Sectoral Committee on Unsafe Structures chairman Moses Nyakiongora.

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But Gorasia, who maintains that he legally acquired the land in 1994 at the age of 21, dared the government to bring down the Sh5.4 billion shopping mall straightaway.

“If you want to demolish it do it, I don’t care. I’m tired of hearing about its demolition now for over five years. I have suffered enough since rumours of its demolition began circulating; losing Sh3 billion in rentals is enough. Please bring it down now. I don’t care,” he said.

Taj Mall has courted controversy since 2013 when the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) successively petitioned the National Land Commission (NLC) to revoke its title deed.

READ: Mall tenants now play hardball in lease negotiations

NLC chairman Mohamed Swazuri ruled that the mall sits on a parcel of land acquired by the colonial government in 1960 for the future expansion of Outering Road.

Mr Gorasia accused the NLC of mischief, adding that Kura had assured him of the mall’s safety.

“We have a letter from Kura saying that they don’t need the land,” he said.

Taj Mall becomes the latest casualty of a massive demolition drive that seeks to dismantle all structures built illegally on river banks and road reserves.

On August 6, State agencies demolished a Java coffee shop and a Vivo Energy fuel station in Kileleshwa that were said to be too close to a river.

Two days later, Southend Mall on the Langata Road-Mbagathi Way junction was smashed.

The Ukay Centre in Westlands, which housed a Nakumatt outlet, and a section of Oshwal Centre have also been demolished.

Owners of the affected buildings have maintained that requisite approvals for the construction of the structures were granted by the relevant State agencies.

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