Agent ignores court order, Jubilee politician’s flattens building

An excavator demolishes a commercial building within Moi Avenue in Mombasa County on Saturday. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

A firm has defied a court barring it from evicting tenants in a building believed to be owned by a powerful Jubilee politician.

The politician's family acquired the property after independence.

The demolition is targeting several iconic buildings that have been in existence in Mombasa's central business district for over six decades.

Although the demolition began yesterday, commercial activities had been paralysed since mid-December last year, when police and municipal authorities evicted tenants and blocked access using a wall of iron sheets.

CBA Mutuyu Properties Group and African Building and Estate had taken over the property. 

Justice Erick Ogola on January 2 this year temporarily stopped the eviction of 19 tenants who had gone to court.

Estate agent

The tenants, led by Articraft, Draper and Alexander Florist, went to court on December 31 last year after the estate agent started cordoning off the building along Msanifu Kombo Street.

“Having looked at affidavit of service filed on December 31, 2018, and having considered the application, which in my view is urgent, a temporary mandatory order is hereby issued against the defendants from erecting, barricading and preventing the applicant from accessing plot No 8/xx/msa mainland,” Justice Ogola said.

He ordered the applicants to serve the defendants and set an inter partes hearing for January 15.

However, one of the estate agents hired heavy equipment to demolish one building as the tenants tried to remove their property.

Among the companies affected was Shankar Electronic Shop along Moi Avenue which has been operating from the building for over 20 years.

Iron sheet fence

Mombasa County guards provided security during the eviction of tenants and construction of an iron sheet fence around the building.

As we went to press, some tenants were still struggling to remove their wares as a bulldozer pulled down the building.