The National Environment Management Authority has finally demolished the South End Mall after years of public uproar.
South End Mall was built at the junction of Mbagathi Way and Langata Road after a prolonged tussle between the government and businessmen over encroachment of Ngong River.
According to NEMA, the demolitions are part of efforts to reclaim riparian land, meaning that more buildings constructed on wetlands or near rivers and streams will be brought down.
On Monday, the Authority demolished Java House, Kileleshwa alongside Shell Petrol Station that were built adjacent to Nairobi River. The authority also vowed to continue bringing down constructions that were illegally put up in Nairobi.
South End Mall is among thousands of buildings marked for demolition, for being illegally built on riparian land which Article 67 of the Constitution states is public land.
The demolition of the mall attracted applause from the majority of Kenyans who said that the building was put up with impunity. Others went on to single out buildings in Westlands, which they said also sit on riparian land.
It nonetheless remains to be seen how far the on-going demolition exercise will go.
A bulldozer, on instruction of National Environment Management Authority (Nema) officials and the guard of police, descended on the mall that stands atop Mutuini-Ngong River on Langata Road on Wednesday morning.
The imposing building, owned by former Bobasi MP Stephen Manoti, has been accused of obstructing the river leading to perennial flooding and destruction of property in Nairobi West, South C and Lang’ata
In May 2015, Mr Manoti claimed that he had all the necessary approvals from City Hall and National Environmental and Management Authority (Nema), despite the two ordering for the demolition of the building.
Mr Manoti obtained a court order to stop the demolition. City Hall challenged the order in court in early 2017.