Kahama Hotel to Be Demolished for Globe Roundabout Public Transport Terminal

The Kahama Hotel in Ngara, Nairobi, is set to be demolished to pave way for the construction of the Globe Roundabout public transport terminal.

Kahama Hotel is owned by the family of the late businessman James Mwangi also known as Kahama and was established in the 1980s under the name Kenya International Hotel.

The National Land Commission (NLC) will spend billions of shillings in acquiring property along this area, including the highly contested Grogan area and three others.

Mr. Gershom Otachi, the NLC chairman through a gazette notice dated 31^st May 2021, stated that the National Government intends to acquire the land parcels for the construction of Globe Roundabout Public Transport Terminal and plan of the affected land may be inspected at the office of the National Land Commission Ardhi House 3rd Floor, Room 305, 1st Ngong Avenue Nairobi.

screenshot of the gazette notice. [courtesy of The Kenya Gazette vol. CXXIII-No. 125]

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) decongestion strategy is under Director-General Mohamed Badi and seeks to ease traffic congestion within the city. Other termini are Muthurwa, Desai, Park Road, Bunyala Road, Fig Tree and the Green Park which is already complete and awaits the official launch.

The acquisition of this hotel by the government might renew another property tussle from the businessman’s family. In 2019, his daughters took their brothers to court in a property ownership wrangle.

-Edited by Emomeri Maryanne