Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has suffered losses running into millions of shillings after his car bazaar, car wash, and other associated businesses near Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi were demolished in an overnight operation that left dozens of vehicles destroyed.
The demolition reduced the once-bustling car yard, car wash facility, and popular restaurant to rubble.
Photographs from the scene showed high-end vehicles partially buried under collapsed walls, twisted metal frames, shattered glass, and crushed roofing sheets.
Several cars were severely damaged as heavy debris fell on them, rendering many beyond repair.
Luxury vehicles, sports cars, and rare models were completely destroyed when bulldozers brought down the building in seconds, crushing the cars beneath tons of concrete, steel, and dust.
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“This is a huge loss, but I trust God. They have done this to me, but I still have hands and brains. Kenyans have seen my works, and as per now I won’t engage in political games,” Wamatangi said.
“Live bullets were shot here last night. I chose not to come because maybe the bullet could find me in that darkness. Hasara hii yote ya miaka 40 nimeachia mungu. We shall rise again.”
The operation affected multiple businesses and installations along the railway line near Nyayo Stadium.
Police officers were deployed to secure the area as contractors carried out the demolition exercise.
Nairobi Police Commander George Seda confirmed that officers were providing security to facilitate Kenya Railways’ repossession of the land.
“The management says they notified the owner of the property to vacate, but there was resistance. We came in to support the demolition,” Seda said.
Authorities indicated that the clearance is part of ongoing plans related to the railway corridor near Talanta Stadium.
By dawn, Douglas Wakiihuri Road remained blocked by heaps of debris from the demolition, significantly disrupting traffic and movement in the Nairobi West area.
The demolition comes just days after Governor Wamatangi, through his company, moved to court seeking protection from what he described as verbal threats of demolition.
In a petition filed at the Milimani Commercial Magistrates’ Court, Wamatangi argued that the land belongs to Kenya Railways and had been legally leased to his company for more than 20 years.
This is not the first time Wamatangi has incurred such losses.
In February 2019, a car bazaar near Nyayo Stadium linked to him was similarly demolished after authorities claimed it was illegally occupying Kenya Railways land.
At the time, Wamatangi was serving as the Senator for Kiambu County and maintained that he held a valid lease and had occupied the property for two decades.
Wamatangi was involved in the car trade between 1997 and 2002, during which he was known as Paul Kimani Njoroge.
He later adopted the name “Wamatangi”—loosely translated as “the tanks guy”—around 2003 after donating water tanks to residents of Kiambu.
Photos: Bernard Orwongo [Standard], UGC