Multi-million Shilling Hotel Sonrisa in Diani Demolished
"I can't tell you what is happening. They have fake orders which are not related to us..." Hotel owners in Diani, Kwale County watched as bulldozers demolished property worth millions of shillings amid a protracted court dispute involving Royal Media Services (RMS) owner S.K Macharia on Friday, February 18.
Leah Mukangai The hotel owner argued that the police orders were invalid. The two parties have been at odds over who owns what portion of the 1.9-hectare prime beachfront property. The tycoon allegedly encroached on Strezelecka's land, which she purchased after moving to Kenya in 2007.
"I came as a foreign investor and got a certificate. I came here to start a new life," Strezelecka revealed.
In a court case, Dr. S.K Macharia was up against Estate Sonrisa Ltd, and the judge ruled in his favor, declaring that the disputed tract of land in Kwale was rightfully his.
In a judgment issued in June 2021, the judge ordered the residents to move out of the piece of property and remove any structures that had been placed on it.
The court also ruled that the survey fees must be paid equally by both property owners and that any party found to have encroached on the other party's land must dismantle any structures that may have been placed on the land within 60 days.
"If the party encroaching fails to move and vacate, the party whose land has been encroached shall be at liberty after the said sixty (60) days to demolish such encroaching with the help of the court bailiff who will be assisted by the nearest Police Officer," the court declared.
According to the judgment, the party that had encroached on the land was responsible for the demolition costs. A public path connecting the land parcels that access the ocean was also ordered not to be closed by the court.
