"Not Even to My Death": Owner of Nairobi's Taj Mall Dares Gov't to Demolish It

The owner of Nairobi's Taj Mall, which has since been renamed to AirGate Mall, has dared the government to demolish the building.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Rameshchandra Govind Gorasia confirmed he received a two-week notice to demolish the mall.

However, the seemingly aggrieved billionaire vowed not to bring down the building, saying whoever wants to demolish the building to do it themselves.

“I am saying this openly to any authority, I am not going to remove this structure, not even to my death! If they want to remove it, they come and do it themselves,” said an irate Gorasia.

“Whoever is ordering this demolition stop hiding, come out and face me, I am not scared of anything.”

In a letter dated August 16, 2018, the Multi-sectoral Committee on Unsafe Structures stated the building had encroached on a road reserve hindering the construction of Outering Road.

“The owner(s)/developer(s) are asked to remove this illegal development before 30th August, 2018. The occupants/tenants at the Airgate Mall are asked to immediately vacate the building prior to the expiry of the notice,” reads the memo signed by agency’s chairman Moses Nyakiongora.

“Upon the expiry of this notice, the illegal development will be demolished or removed from the road reserve and wayleave at the owner(s)/developer(s) risk and cost.”

Gorasia was speaking a day after the building was marked for demolition by officials from the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA). He said the shopping complex was fully approved and paid for and was at the time valued at Sh5.4 billion.

“I am a genuine investor in the country, I’m not a thief and I believe we are in a country with a Constitution,”said Gorasia adding that he purchased the land in 1996 when he was 21 years old.

“Tenants have been living in fear ever since they received the news that part of the building will be demolished,” lamented Gorasia.

Earlier this week, the billionaire said he was the sole owner of the building and refuted claims that Deputy President William Ruto has shares in the mall.