Sh800 million one-stop shopping mall opens in Kiambu in 3 months

The mall economy, which has been growing aggressively, has been hit with sustainability uncertainty with some struggling to hit revenue targets.

But this has not scared Mugaa Investments, which has put up a Sh800 million mall at the heart of Kiambu town.

Peter Burugu, the chairman and owner of Kiambu Mall, invested his family’s fortunes into the business under the premise Kiambu town needs a shopping mall to access services and products under one roof.

“I decided to construct a mall on my one-and-a-half acres because Kiambu people have been travelling 15km to Nairobi to shop in a mall. I am bringing a mall closer to them, he said Burugu on Thursday during a tour of the mall, which is 90 per cent complete.

The mall is expected to officially open in December in time for the Christmas holiday shopping.

“We have an anchor tenant - Choppies - the leading supermarket chain from Botswana and has branches in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Rwanda

and Kenya targeting the lower to middle-income sectors of society, but increasingly is attracting the upper-middle class consumers,” Burugu said.

He said he believes in the concept of devolution because it gives the private sector a chance to develop the counties and create jobs for youths.

“There is a lot business development coming to Kiambu, especially real estate. We have Migaa, Edenville, Five Star developments, Runda paradise and many others surrounding Kiambu town and we want to provide shopping convinience for the residents in the estates,” Burugu said.

He said part of the mall revenue will be chanelled to a children’s home his family has built in Kitengela on 10 acres.