lifestyle

Mike Maina: Billionaire Owner Of Marble Arch Hotel Who Communicates Through Written Notes and Never Gives Interview To The Media

The few billionaires in Kenya are known for leading a low-key existence and not flaunting their wealth in public. Mike Maina is one such individual who made the news in 2019 when his firm, Mutthithi Investment Limited, acquired court orders to demolish residences in Kayole on land he claimed to own. According to an article titled “Eight reclusive Kenyan billionaires you might not know about,” Mike Maina interacts with people through written messages carried by messengers and never gives interviews to the media. Mike Maina owns the Marble Arch Hotel located in the heart of Nairobi’s Central Business District, a three-star hotel that opened in 1995 and has served over 1.4 million people. The hotel features fully furnished rooms with modern conveniences, tight security, and ample parking. A night at the hotel ranges from Ksh 5,200 to Ksh 10,500, and a fully furnished and serviced apartment costs Ksh 180,000 per month.

Mike Maina has been involved in various allegations, conflicts, and legal fights, including the government’s demolition of his eight-bedroom house in Spring Valley to build a road, which he later won in court and was awarded Ksh 859 million in compensation. He has also been trying to repossess the Nyamavilla land in Kayole, which he bought in 1988 from someone who posed as Cabinet Minister JJ Kamotho’s son and was later found to belong to the City Council. Mike Maina won the case and the land became the property of Muthithi Investment, which later used force to demolish structures on the land.

The Marble Arch Hotel has also been accused of grabbing a public toilet space to build a parking bay and being involved in an attempt to grab land in Karura Forest to build a mall on behalf of the late President Daniel arap Moi. Despite these allegations and legal battles, Mike Maina remains a wealthy and successful businessman who chooses to keep a low profile.