Deputy President William Ruto Fights to Save His High-End Hotel in Nairobi from Demolition

Deputy President William Ruto has moved to save his high-end hotel in Nairobi from being demolished.

Ruto’s lawyer Ahamednasir Abdullahi appeared before the National Land Commission (NLC) on Tuesday to explain how the Deputy President acquired the land on which Weston Hotel stands, The Standard reports.

This comes after a State agency, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) petitioned NLC to help it reclaim the land on which the property sits – claiming it was the rightful owner.

In a 107-page response to KCAA's claims, lawyer Ahamednasir explains how the Deputy President acquired the land in Nairobi's Lang'ata area. He says his client purchased the parcel of land regularly and from its registered owners.

“Our client is a bona fide purchaser for value. If there is any defect on the title, our client was not aware of it. The allottee has a valid grant obtained from Government, on which was endorsed the transfer to our client,” the lawyer stated.

He urges the National Lands Commission to consider that the hotel employs hundreds of Kenyans directly and directly, while making its decision on the matter.

"No one has ever claimed the property since he acquired it," the lawyer adds.

"Even during the construction, he did not receive any complaint whether from the State or any individual," Ahmednasir says.

He says Ruto purchased the 1.7-acre piece of land in 2007 for Sh10 million from Priority Management Ltd and Monene Investments Limited, the previous owners.

William Ruto, Rachel Chebet Kimeto and Charlene Chelagat Ruto are listed as directors of Weston Hotel. The property's value is estimated at around Sh300 million.