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Village Market based in Gigiri, Nairobi, is one of the iconic shopping centres in Kenya. It is owned by Greenhills Investment, which is a private investment company.
The Company is owned by two brothers known as the Ehsani brothers, Hamed Ehsani and Mehraz Ehsani.
Hamed and Mehraz are Iranian. Their family moved to Kenya in 1981 after the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Initially, they planned to stay in the country briefly while waiting for their Australian visas.
They spent some time with Mehraz, an architect and a lecturer at the University of Nairobi at the time.
However, they decided to extend their stay due to delays in their visas and eventually started their business here.
But due to delayed visas, their trip to Australia never materialised. The family decided to stay on and try their hands at local business.
The brothers founded Greenhill Investment Limited.
Foundation and Establishment of Village Market
They decided to open the Village Market in 1992 after discovering that Gigiri lacked a commercial centre.
Hamed said they came up with the idea when they visited Limuru and noticed that the town did not have any shopping centre on their way back.
“We were just driving around when my brothers and I saw this place and thought we could set up a few shops and create a shopping centre that captures the concept of an African village, a market that brings people together and creates a setting for socioeconomic interrelations,” he said.
The two brothers then sought a bank loan after settling on the idea and they got Ksh69 million.
They went ahead to acquire 7 acres of land and started the project with 10 shops.
“We bought the seven-acre piece of land that was full of coffee bushes. My elder brother designed it and three years later, we had 60 shops,” Hamed said.
Mahrez designed the whole project and within three years they had 60 shops and businesses.
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Current State and Court Case Over Land
Village Market currently has more than 200 outlets and stores spread across 210,000 square feet.
It also features 20,000 square feet of office space plus other entertainment and recreation facilities.
However, the land on which Village Market is built has been subject to legal disputes.
In 2022, the family of the late provincial commissioner Charles Karuga Koinange filed a petition claiming that Greenhills Investment acquired the land illegally.
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The Koinange’s pleaded with the court to get the Mall demolished, stating that the land belongs to them.
However, Greenhills maintained the prime land is legally theirs according to State records.
They asked the High Court to order the Land Registrar to name them as the owners of the property in the lawsuit.
According to a report by Business Daily, the land where the complex sits is valued at Ksh1.6 billion, while the mall is worth an estimated Ksh15 billion.
Tribe Hotel & House No:12 Magnollia Hills
The Ehasi family also owns Tribe Hotel, a famous five-star hotel based in Nairobi.
Tribe Hotel is approximately 25 km from Nairobi’s International Airport – Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO).
Mahrez designed the hotel, featuring 128 guestrooms and the Jiko Restaurant, inspired by traditional African cooking.
He also built House No:12 Magnollia Hills which is currently has been billed as Kenya’s most expensive residence.
House No:12 has a double kitchen, fully equipped gym, six ensuite bedrooms as well as interior and exterior Jacuzzis.
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