A newly-built tower in Nairobi's affluent neighbourhood of Kileleshwa is facing demolition following a dispute between its owner and the contractor.
Valued at Ksh895 million, the tower, located along Oloitoktok Road, is the subject of a court case between the two parties which are differing over the standard used in its construction.
The owner was already in the market seeking for a client to help it bring down the tower after noting that Nairobi County Government had raised concerns about its safety.
Some of the concerns the owner highlighted include cracks in some parts of the building which led to the cancellation of the contract in 2017.
In a rejoinder, however, the contractor opposed plans to demolish the tower arguing that it was still subject of an ongoing court case and that it might be used as part of the evidence.
In a notice on Sunday, February 27, the contractor issued a warning against all parties hired to demolish the building.
“Any person who might have responded to the RFQ (Request for Quotation) is hereby put on notice about the risks involved in accepting any offer in the demolition of the building,” read the notice in part.
Through their senior counsel, the contractor further argued that during the course of the court proceedings, a site visit maybe ordered to determine which party is to blame.
“The public is notified that by reason of the foregoing, the building may be required in evidence in the said case and that it would therefore be an offence punishable under Section 116 of the Penal Code for anyone to willfully destroy or demolish it or render it incapable of identification in its current state with intent to preventing it from being used in evidence in the case,” added the petitioner.
It was also revealed that the owner had hired experts to assess the nature of the building who found standard issues.
The contractor, however, accused them of integrity issues claiming that they falsified the results in an attempt to defraud the company.
The three experts among other construction companies have since been charged over the matter.
