Demolition of Multi-Million-Shilling Grand Manor Hotel Near US Embassy in Nairobi Begins

Demolition of the multi-million-shilling Grand Manor hotel in Nairobi's Gigiri area kicked off on Thursday morning.

The move comes two days after the court gave the Nairobi County government authority to bring down the building that it claims was erected without approval from City Hall.

The court ruled that the hotel poses a security threat to the adjacent United Nations offices and the United States embassy as well as the neighboring High Commission of Botswana and the Embassy of Morocco.

The structure is owned by Nairobi tycoon Praful Kumar, who was in August arrested by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for allegedly attempting to bribe Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.

The billionaire businessman reportedly offered Sh1 million to Sonko in a bid to stop the planned demolition of the hotel.

Kumar was arraigned at a Mombasa court and charged with three counts of giving a bribe and was released on Sh1 million bond after denying the charges.

The Gigiri Village Association had also filed numerous complaints regarding the hotel, saying that it violated physical planning regulations for the low-density estate.