Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is the new owner of the Treetops and Outspan hotels in Nyeri County. According to a report on the purchase that appeared in a publication by the Nation Media Group, Gachagua and his family have acquired the hotels at a staggering cost of Sh. 3.5 billion.

The Treetops Hotel which is located 20 kilometres from Nyeri town was reopened on Saturday, August 3, 2024, by Gachagua who was the chief guest. “It is here that you really feel the spirit of Dedan Kimathi, the freedom fighter who fought for freedom and was captured in the Aberdares,” said Gachagua. The Treetops Hotel is in the Aberdare National Park.

“It is an emotional moment for me to see the careers of these people being revived once again. The hotel will also contribute to the Mt Kenya tourism circuit with added accommodation,” said Gachagua’s son Keith who is the hotel’s director.

It was first opened in November 1932 by Eric Sherbrooke Walker. At the time, it was built into the tops of the trees of Aberdare National Park as a treehouse, offering the guests a close view of the local wildlife.

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Treetops is where Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) was staying in 1952 when she acceded to the thrones of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, upon the death of her father, King George VI.

In October 2021, the Treetops Hotel had closed its doors for the first time in 90 years after it was overwhelmed by the economic downturn that was brought about by the 2020 pandemic.