Tuskys supermarket located at United Mall in Kisumu resumed operations on Friday after paying Sh15 million out of Sh26 million rent arrears.
The supermarket has committed to clear the remaining Sh11 million on Monday according to insiders at the supermarket and the United Mall.
Tuskys was closed on Thursday by Victoria Blues Services Auctioneers over rent arrears. Other small shops which are sublet by Tuskys were affected.
They include Good Life pharmacy, Safari Optica, Tuscom, Ufungamano Christian Bookshop, and Gifts among others.
A spot check by the Star on Friday established that it was reopened with customers able to shop. Owners of small shops also resumed their operations.
A letter dated August 21, 2020, by auctioneer Felix Apollo and copied to United Mall manager Jaiswal Mukesh showed the supermarket made payments.
“Tuskys has sent to us proof of payment for rent arrears up to the end of July. Kindly confirm the receipt of the same,” reads the letter in part.
It further read, “Please note that we have to immediately open up the supermarket since the attached only took place for the arrears."
In the letter, Apollo said should there be any default for the August rent then United Mall management should proceed to issue fresh instruction to enable them to issue a fresh proclamation.
The shops under it were closed. Security officers were deployed to guard the premises. Workers were stranded as auctioneers locked Tuskys and sublet shops following a public auction in a local daily.
Mall manager Mukesh Jaiswal declined to comment on the matter, saying he was out of office for two weeks."I can't talk on the matter," he said on the phone on Thursday.
Tuskys united manager Wilson Kanyi also declined to comment on the matter and instead referred the Star to head office in Nairobi.
In the public auction, the auctioneers had been given a directive to sell all the goods in the shops to recover the money.
