[Source: Business Daily, by Brian Ngugi]
Troubled retail chain Uchumi Supermarkets is locked in a land ownership dispute with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), which has laid claim to a 20-acre prime parcel of land located in Kasarani, near the Thika Superhighway.
KDF has moved its equipment on the disputed land, creating a standoff with the cash-strapped retailer.
Uchumi has been banking on selling the land to turn around its dwindling fortunes.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed Uchumi had already signed a sale agreement with a church group, which had committed to buy the land for Sh2.8 billion.
Uchumi, whose previous attempts to sell the land had hit legal headwinds, says that it is engaging KDF over the ownership dispute.
A visit to the land adjacent to the Thika Road Mall shows excavation is ongoing, with tents already put up and a perimeter fence erected. Military vehicles used to transport personnel and equipment are strategically located at the entrance.
Sand bags are also placed in the compound.
Uchumi Supermarkets said it has kicked off negotiations to wrestle back its most prime asset from KDF.
[Full article: Business Daily, by Brian Ngugi]
