City Hall demolishes Pimp My Ride business premises, again

The Nairobi County government has once again brought down Pimp My Ride car wash at the city centre, more than a month after it was first demolished.

The premises, built built where Simmers Club once stood, was brought down by City Hall Wednesday night.

On Thursday morning, the owner and workers woke up to find completely flattened structures.

“The demolition happened at night at around 11pm when most of us had left. We came in the morning to find some of the things stolen as they could not be secured. We do not know why this has happened,” said one the workers who did not want to be named.

RECONSTRUCTION

The business premises, situated at the corner of Kenyatta Avenue and Muindi Bingu Street, has lately been on a recovery path with reconstruction works ongoing following an initial demolition by the city county government on May 27.

The owner of the premise, Mr Patrick Nderitu, had sought court intervention to prevent City Hall from bringing down his business.

On July 2, the county government served Mr Nderitu with a seven-day enforcement notice indicating that he was carrying out an illegal construction.

COURT CASE

But a Nairobi court on Wednesday declined to stop the impending demolition and directed the businessman to file and serve the respondents with his application and appear in court Thursday for further directions.

In May, the establishment was flattened after differences emerged between Governor Mike Sonko and the businessman.

The operation came just days after Governor Sonko threatened to bring down the business for operating without planning approvals from the county.

This was after the governor stopped the demolition of a school, Kinderstar, in Buruburu, and accused Mr Nderitu of being behind it.

During the Buruburu demolition, schoolchildren were beaten up and roughed by hired goons.