Mastodon
RNS logo

Kenya's Catholic bishops sued after canceling lease for Muslim-run restaurant

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Waumini House is about one kilometer from the Westgate Shopping Mall, where a terrorist attack in September 2013 left 67 people dead. That attack and others in Kenya are blamed on the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab.
Kenya’s Catholic bishops sued after canceling lease for Muslim-run restaurant
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops was sued by a tenant of their Waumini Building in Westlands, Kenya, who claimed his six-year lease was terminated on religious grounds. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili
Fredrick Nzwili

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops is facing a lawsuit over the cancellation of a rental contract for a restaurant operated by a Somali Muslim.

Al-Yusra Restaurant Ltd. had signed a six-year lease starting in 2013 to operate a restaurant in a section of Waumini House where the bishops’ conference is based. Baakai Maalim, a Somali Muslim, is a director for the company.

A lawyer for the bishops said the lease was signed without written consent and knowledge of the bishops.

Waumini House is about one kilometer from the Westgate Shopping Mall, where a terrorist attack in September 2013 left 67 people dead.


That attack and others blamed on the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab have heightened fear among Christian leaders and increased suspicion between Christians and Muslims.

“We stopped the lease for security reasons,” said Bishop Martin Kivuva of Machakos. “The restaurant would have increased human traffic within the building and that can be a danger even to other businesses here.”

But Rahma Jillo, the restaurant’s lawyer, claims the tenant was rejected because he is Somali and a Muslim. She accused the church of using tactics informed by discrimination and intolerance.

“This is not only discriminatory, but highly objectionable in the view of the recent past screening of Muslim Somalis,” said Jillo, in a letter quoted in The Star newspaper.

Jillo said the termination is illegal in Kenya, where the constitution provides for freedom of religion and bans discrimination on the basis of religion.

The restaurant owner is demanding $1 million in compensation for renovations made at the site, a rent deposit and lost profits.


Kivuva termed the demands as “impossible” and said the bishops had clearly explained their concerns to the business owners.

“The cancellation had nothing to do with the owners being Muslims,” he said. There are other tenants in the building, but they are mainly private offices or firms linked to the church.

YS/MG END NZWILI

No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher
Donate today