Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition coalition Azimio, is expanding his investments in the hospitality sector with the construction of a new luxury resort in Malindi, Kilifi county.
A National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) assessment report has revealed details of the planned development, which will sit on a 4.3 acre land parcel, only 100 metres from the Indian Ocean shoreline.
It promises a luxury beach resort experience with the project estimated to cost Ksh515.7 million. A multi-storey building will house rooms as well as a raft of other amenities.
The ground floor will include a conference hall, service rooms, and offices – with the hotel eyeing the meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions (MICE) market. Designs further revealed plans to have 33 luxury rooms on the first floor, as well as a spa, jacuzzi, sauna, and steam rooms.
On the second floor will be a presidential suite and 19 more rooms. The development also includes six blocks of two and three-bedroom luxury villas – featuring modern designs and sleek amenities.
In addition, it features a standalone presidential villa that incorporates three bedrooms, a lounge, dining room, kitchen, and gazebo among other amenities.
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The development is owned by Kango Enterprises Limited, a company that has the former Prime Minister as a director. Odinga has invested heavily in the energy sector and has stakes in companies including BE Energy, East Africa Spectre and Pan African Petroleum.
Raila’s EA Spectre claims to control about 20% market share in the manufacture of new LPG cylinders and over 80% of the cylinder revalidation market share.
Data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra), on the other hand, indicates that Be Energy was the seventh largest oil retailer in Kenya as of 2021, controlling 3.1 per cent of the fuel market up from from 2.4 per cent in 2020. As of December 2022, it had grown further to control a 3.64% market share.
