This is becoming a little confusing. Weston Hotel was accused of grabbing Lang’ata Primary School playground to make it its parking. It came out to strongly deny that and promised to take legal action against the Star newspaper. The big question remains: Who really owns Weston Hotel?
The hotel has hired lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi.
The lawyer yesterday took to Twitter to state that Deputy President William Ruto does not own the hotel, claiming a man by the name Patrick Osoro is the majority shareholder. When it comes to who really owns Weston Hotel, the narrative becomes even more complicated.
However, that view is not shared by the hotel’s own waiters, according to media personality Tim Njiru. Tim visited it yesterday and this is what he tweeted. So who do we believe? The waiters or the Grand Mullah? It certainly raises questions about who really owns Weston Hotel.
This is becoming a little confusing. Weston Hotel was accused of grabbing Lang’ata Primary School playground to make it its parking. It came out to strongly deny that and promised to take legal action against the Star newspaper. Such denials complicate the understanding of who really owns Weston Hotel.
-nairobiwire.com
Here’s a breakdown of the situation:
Allegation:
Weston Hotel was alleged to have illegally acquired land that originally belonged to Lang’ata Road Primary School. The core issue about who really owns Weston Hotel remains clouded by such allegations.
Reports claimed the hotel converted the school’s playground into a parking lot, sparking outrage among parents, civil society, and the general public.
Public Reaction:
In January 2015, pupils from the school took part in a protest demanding the return of their playground. During the protest, police used tear gas on the children, an incident that caused widespread condemnation both locally and internationally.
The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and National Land Commission (NLC) got involved to investigate land ownership, shedding some light on who really owns Weston Hotel.
Weston Hotel’s Response:
- Weston Hotel strongly denied the allegations.
- It claimed that it had acquired the land legally from previous owners, not from the school.
- The hotel threatened to take legal action against the Star Newspaper, which had published the claims linking the hotel to the land grabbing scandal.
Additional Context:
The issue later gained more political weight because Weston Hotel is associated with Deputy President William Ruto (now President as of 2022).
The National Land Commission later acknowledged that the land had been irregularly acquired but suggested that the current owners (Weston) should compensate the government rather than have the land repossessed.
This action adds an additional layer to understanding who really owns Weston Hotel.
