Corporate News
A businessman tries to recover some of his goods after flash floods
swept through Ukay Centre flooding the Nakummatt Ukay branch on Nairobi
May 9, 2016.PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
By BRIAN NGUGI, bnjoroge@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
Nakumatt Holdings will seek insurance compensation
for goods damaged at its Ukay branch in Westlands, Nairobi, following
flash floods that soaked the city on Saturday night.
The retail chain Monday said insurance agents and Nakumatt officials were assessing the damage before making the claims.
“The branch just as the rest is insured and the
assessment for damages incurred began immediately and is ongoing. There
are no timelines for its completion but we expect to get a clear picture
of the huge damage once the assessment is complete,” said Nakumatt
Holdings spokesperson Alfred Nganga in an interview.
Nakumatt was forced to suspend operations at the Ukay Centre shopping mall branch on Sunday following the deluge.
The torrential rains caused flood water to enter the mall destroying goods and sweeping away many others, resulting in huge losses.
The loss could easily amount to tens of millions of shillings.
The torrential rains caused flood water to enter the mall destroying goods and sweeping away many others, resulting in huge losses.
The loss could easily amount to tens of millions of shillings.
Closed indefinitely.
The retailer announced Sunday the outlet will be closed indefinitely.
The Nakumatt Highridge branch will open for 24 hours to meet the needs of customers who previously frequented Nakumatt Ukay.
Nakumatt Ukay had branded itself as an outlet where customers in Westlands, Parklands and the environs (and even beyond) could walk in at any time of the day or night to buy whatever they needed.
Nakumatt Ukay had branded itself as an outlet where customers in Westlands, Parklands and the environs (and even beyond) could walk in at any time of the day or night to buy whatever they needed.
The building in which the Ukay Centre branch is
located has in the past caused a storm as environmentalists claimed that
it is built on a riparian reserve.
Nakumatt has however argued that it is just a tenant, declining to answer questions on the location of the building.
Government officials yesterday remained
non-committal on matter. The National Environmental Management Authority
(Nema) Acting Director in Charge of Compliance and Enforcement Zephania
Ouma said the authority was scrutinising the building’s Environmental
Impact Assessment report afresh.
Mr Ouma however blamed pollution of the environment
which he said had led to blockage of drainages for the floods which
soaked the mall.
“The recent flooding has been made worse by the
wanting solid waste management we have in the city,” said Mr Ouma on
phone. Nairobi County officials however said “It was clear” that the
building hosting Nakumatt Ukay was built on riparian reserve but refused
to comment on whether it would be demolished.
“While we offer our sympathies, it is clear to us
that the owners of the building resisted attempts years back not to
build the building on riparian land.
You cannot fight nature and this fact as Wangari
Mathai used to say has come to pass,” Nairobi County’s Chief Engineer
for Roads, Transport and Planning Michael Ngare said in an interview.
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