The contempt case against developers of Hilton Hotels and Resorts’ planned hotel will be heard tomorrow at the Nairobi High court.
In the case, registered trustees of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, of Kuwait, have sued Pelican Engineering and Construction Company together with Jabavu Village and WhiteLotus Projects -the firms behind the planned Sh11 billion Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill for contempt for allegedly tresspassing in their property.
Through their lawyers Ochieng, Onyango, Kibe advocates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan says that Jabavu Village and White Lotus Projects have forcefully, and in breach of orders of preservation given by the court, moved into the suit property, destroyed the existing fence and erected a new fence joining suit property to their adjacent property.
“If this honourable court does not intervene, there is a real risk and likehood that the suit property shall be wasted and irreparably damaged and the dignity, honour and authority of this honourable court brought to dispute,” the lawyers argue.
They also add that a contempt of court application is by its own nature an urgent application since it concerns the promotion of the principles of the rule of law, observance and respect of due process of law and the preservation of an effective and impartial system of justice in order to maintain public confidence in the administration of justice by the court.
In October 2016, Hilton Hotels and Resorts announced that it had signed a management agreement with Jabavu Village to open a 255 guest-room and suite hotel in Kenya’s capital. The hotel is set to open in 2020 and joins 50 Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties trading or under development in 17 countries across Africa.