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Locals descend on Taj Mall debris, mint millions from scrap metal – VIDEO


Embakasi residents have transformed the rubble of Airgate Mall, formerly known as Taj Mall, into a multi-million shilling business.

The building was demolished after authorities deemed it was built on a road reserve.

A spot check by Nairobi News at the siteon Tuesday, three weeks after the storied building was brought down, found dozens of people sifting through the rubble.

The rubble according to those in the know, consists of some construction stones and metals which are harvested and recycled for use.

“We are paid (about Sh1,000 a day) to harvest the scrap metal from this building,” one of the workers at the site told Nairobi News.

PHOTO | COURTESY
PHOTO | COURTESY

Further payments, we understand, are made after assessing the quality of scrap metal that one manages to get from the rubble.

Also visible were numerous lorries, minibuses and pickups that were waiting to transport the scrap metal from the site.

All this is happening as the property owner Rameschandra Govino Gorasia ponders his next move. He recently promised to sue the authorities for misinformation that led to the investment estimated to have been worth Sh5 billion.

“This is a matter which will be settled in court,” he said on the day of demolition.