Westside Mall is one of the most iconic building in Nakuru city. The one stop shopping mall is the largest in the city. WoK takes a tour of the mall, the architects behind the masterpiece and its ownership.
About The Westside Mall
The high end mall is situated at the junction of Kenyatta Avenue and the Nairobi-Nakuru highway right in the heart of Nakuru’s Central Business District (CBD). The architects behind this mall is BAA Architects, an independent architectural design, project management and related consultancy services that has been in existence since 1999.
Groundbreaking of the mall began in 2009 and was completed in 2011, the results being a high end modern shopping hall considered as the eye of Nakuru. The mall covers 15,000 square meters and consists of an anchor supermarket, 40 retail units and ample parking that is able to accommodate up to 500 vehicles.
Inside The Mall
Westside Mall is home to a number of both local and international brands such as Naivas Supermarket who are the anchor tenant, Bata Shop, Java house, KFC, Optica and Samsung shop. It is home to a number of Banks including Prime Bank, Imperial Bank, Equity Bank and SBM Bank. The Aga Khan University Hospital has a branch at the mall.
Controversy
In January 2022, Westside mall hit the headlines after five gangsters broke into Prime Bank offices located at the mall. According to police records seen by Citizen Digital, the five thugs stormed into the banking hall holding a homemade gun, hammer, knives and a panga and took hostage all the nine staff who were on duty. The thugs reportedly directed the staff into the toilets and locked them inside before starting their operation. It is estimated that Ksh2.3 million was stolen in the unfortunate incident. Police recovered the homemade gun, hammer, mobile phone and a Ksh1,000 note from the scene.
The Owner
Details of ownership of Westside Mall in Nakuru remain scanty and unverifiable. However, WoK investigations point the ownership to C.K Patel Limited. When the mall was being constructed, BAA Architects put up a billboard that had details of the project. The billboard stated; Proposed Shopping Centre Main Contractor – Kensteel Construction Limited, Architects – Bowman Associates, Quantity Surveyors – Construction Alternatives and Client – C. K Patel Limited. C. K Patel limited is a Building materials Supplier Company based in Nakuru. The company also owns the C. K Patel Building – a 12-story high-rise building in Nakuru city.
