NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 11 — Businessman and Nairobi governor aspirant Irungu Nyakera fired warning shots early Wednesday after a mob allegedly stormed a hotel he operates in Kisumu, injuring staff and causing property damage in a dispute that has both political and legal dimensions.
Nyakera, patron of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), said the group attacked the hotel at around 5am, tying up a security guard and vandalizing property before fleeing when he confronted them.
“Upon hearing the commotion, I quickly went after them, shooting twice in the air as they fled,” Nyakera said in a statement.
He added that he contacted the Officer Commanding Station for assistance, but claimed police had not arrived hours later.
“Four hours later, not a single police officer has arrived. Orders from above,” he alleged, suggesting the attack may have been politically motivated due to his affiliation with the opposition party.
Nyakera further accused Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo of orchestrating efforts to force him out of the property, which he says he leased for 50 years and invested over Sh235 million in since 2019.
He alleged that individuals chanted tribal rhetoric in an attempt to intimidate him.
He noted that a similar confrontation occurred three weeks ago when individuals allegedly linked to the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) removed merchandise and locked the premises.
“If he indeed wants to take over the property, let him come, and we do a valuation, and I sell it to him,” Nyakera said, referring to Omollo.
The dispute involves a Kisumu hotel operated by Fairways Hospitality, which Nyakera says he renovated after taking over the building in shell form in 2019.
Court filings show the case — Fairways Hospitality Kisumu vs. Lake Basin Development Authority and Charcon Properties Ltd — is before Kenya’s Business Premises Rent Tribunal.
On February 25, a tribunal issued interim orders compelling the landlord to reinstate Nyakera and allow access while restraining the landlord from seizing goods or locking the property pending a hearing.
However, on March 9, the tribunal granted a stay of execution of those orders pending an inter partes hearing scheduled for March 16.
The clash has drawn political reactions. Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai accused Nyakera of misrepresenting the dispute, saying the issue stemmed from unpaid rent and a court directive requiring him to vacate the LBDA-owned premises.
“You have not only refused to pay rent for their facility, but also refused to leave the premises as directed by the courts,” Alai said on social media.
He added that Nyakera had lost the Best Western franchise for the hotel and renamed it Fairways due to financial constraints.
Nyakera rejected the claims, insisting the matter remains before the court and questioning whether any legal order authorized the alleged attack.
“Do they have an order to send goons? Is there an order evicting me from the premises?” he said.
Police in Kisumu had not publicly commented on the incident as of publication.
