By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Construction has finally begun on the prime parcel of land at the junction of Kenyatta Avenue and Muindi Mbingu Street in Nairobi, more than seven years after the closure of the once-popular Simmers Restaurant. The site, which has remained largely vacant since the restaurant was demolished in 2018 following its eviction, is now enclosed by construction hoarding bearing details of a proposed commercial development.
The notice identifies Nilestar Holdings Limited as the client and lists Designworks Architects as the project architect, Aga A. Aga as the project manager, Summit Structural Consultants as the structural engineers, Building Services Group as the mechanical engineers, and Isacom Construction Company Ltd as the contractor under permit reference 49826/B/0519 on Land Reference Numbers 209/908 and 209/918.
Architectural renderings displayed on the hoarding depict a modern multi-storey commercial building, replacing the former open-air restaurant that for decades was a familiar landmark along Kenyatta Avenue. The commencement of construction marks a significant milestone for a property whose ownership has been the subject of protracted litigation.
Court records show that in 1997, the late former Kimilili MP Suleiman Murunga entered into a lease over L.R. No. 209/918 from Nilestar Holdings Limited. Following the expiry of the original 99-year lease in December 2009, Murunga maintained that the lease had not been renewed and that he was subsequently allocated the property after applying for a fresh grant in 2011. He later asserted that he had acquired both the legal and beneficial interest in the land. Nilestar Holdings has consistently disputed that position.
The wider dispute has its origins in competing interests involving Green Valley Limited, a company associated with the family of the late former Finance Minister Arthur Magugu, and businessman Madatali Hashan Abraham. Court proceedings have examined issues relating to historical shareholding arrangements within Nilestar Holdings and agreements entered into during the 1990s, matters that remain central to the litigation.
The dispute eventually extended beyond the courtroom. In March 2018, Simmers Restaurant was evicted during a police-backed operation amid separate disagreements over tenancy, rent obligations, and county land rates. The premises were subsequently demolished, leaving the prominent city-centre plot undeveloped for several years.
In June 2024, the Environment and Land Court issued interim orders preserving the status quo pending the determination of the ownership dispute. Those orders allowed Nilestar Holdings Limited to remain in possession of the property while the substantive issues before the court continue to be heard.
The commencement of the commercial development therefore reflects activity by the party currently in possession of the land under the existing court orders.
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