Pride Inn Group of Hotels Managing Director, Mr Hasnan Noorani. PHOTO/COURTESY
By ABDULHAKIM SHERMAN
Five containers loaded with goods that were stripped from one of Pride Inn hotels in Nairobi and taken to Mombasa have been recovered, police have said.
The police added that proprietors of Pride Inn Hotels and Investments Limited are also under investigations following allegations of theft and vandalism.
Detectives from Nairobi and Mombasa are said to be investigating the Pride Inn Hotels chairman Mohamed Shabir Kassam and the hotel chain’s chief executive officer Hasnan Shabir Noorani for the alleged theft and malicious damage to property.
The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kiambu County, on August 5, gave police permission to search and size assorted items from the hotel’s stores in Mombasa. The items were believed to be exhibits of the crime.
Affidavits filed by police in court show that the two senior Pride Inn Hotels officials maliciously damaged a property along Rhapta road in Westlands, Nairobi. The Pride Inn management has since shutdown the hotel at the property.
“That court do grant the applicant together with officers of the National Police Service powers of ingress and egress to allow access to the go-down, workshops, store of the suspect for the purpose of conducting a search, seize and carry exhibit,” the order issued on August 5 says in part.
Police say the items to be recovered are part of those used in a Sh 210 million renovation of the vandalized property in 2016.
Some of the damaged electrical wiring at the facility. PHOTO/COURTESY
Affidavits filed by detectives state that Brookshill Crescent Investment Ltd transferred Sh 210 million to Pride Inn Hotel between 2015 and March 2016 to renovate the property. Brookshill owns property in Mombasa and Nairobi on Raphta road in Westlands that it leased to Pride Inn Hotels in April 2015.
In 2014 and 2016 police say Pride Inn made requests via letters and emails to Brookshill Crescent Investment Ltd requesting funds to renovate and fix furniture in the hotel in Westlands.
“Between June 2015 and March 2016 Brookshill Crescent Investment Ltd sent Sh 210,254,084 to the account of Pride Inn Hotels Ltd held at Diamond Trust,” a detective namely Sheban Baraka stated in his affidavit.
Mr Baraka added in his affidavit that in 2018, Pride Inn forcefully renegotiated the rent for the Westlands property.
The suspects occupied the property and when the lease expired on July 1, Brookshill Crescent Investment Ltd received information that they had allegedly vandalised the hotel and carted away the furniture and electrical items.
Imran Abdulsalaam Nooran, one of the directors of Brookshill Crescent Investment Ltd, claimed the suspects vandalised the property following a protracted rent dispute.
In the recent past Pride Inn Hotels has been embroiled in a court dispute with Tropicana Hotels Limited over a rent dispute in connection with Eden Rock Hotel in Malindi that was leased in 2011.
