Ksh6B Nairobi Hotel Where Jill Biden Spent Her Nights [PHOTOS]
The building is owned by Adil Popat, the son of...
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The Villa Rosa Kempinski, a hotel located along Chiromo Road in Nairobi, had added First Lady of the United States (US), Dr Jill Biden to its list of high-profile clientele when she was on a three-day tour of Kenya.
The hotel, which was built at a cost of nearly Ksh6 billion and opened in 2013, has 201 hotel suites and rooms which are positioned throughout ten floors, with the presidential suite being situated on the top floor.
The building is owned by Adil Popat, the son of the late Abdul Karim Popat, one of Kenya’s most storied businessmen until his death in 2013. He now rules over the Simba Corporation, an empire that includes auto dealerships, luxury hotels, engineering and financial services and has sole distributorships in Kenya for Mitsubishi, Renault and Mahindra.
The hotel has played host to a number of high-profile individuals in the past, including world leaders like former US President Barack Obama who spent a night there in 2015, celebrities, and business moguls.
Villa Rosa Kempinski. /FILE
Jacqueline Mahugu, a Kenyan journalist who was assigned to cover Dr Biden’s visit, recalled the intricate details of FLOTUS' stay at the hotel, with security so tight that no member of the press was allowed to even catch a glimpse of her in the luxury hotel.
“She was staying at Villa Rosa Kempinski, and there would be similar thorough checks every time we arrived at the hotel, surrounded by Secret Service agents, Kenyan military officers and the police.
“Despite us starting our day from where she was staying -Kempinski, we never actually saw her on the premises or get in or leave. We were never sure which vehicle she would be in,” she recounted as featured in The Standard.
Aside from the hotel's facilities such as the presidential suite, its recent security upgrades made it a favourable spot for any world leader visiting Kenya on official duties.
In 2022, Kempinski's management announced plans to put up a bulletproof barrier on a section of the hotel facing the Nairobi Expressway after expressing security concerns regarding the elevated road which was overlooking the front compound of the hotel.
One of the greatest technological feats of the hotel is the in-built swimming pool on the second floor. It has an infinite cascading element that creates a vanishing edge; the water is framed around an open view with a glass screen such that one overlooks the Chiromo forest from the pool keeping the eyes off the traffic on the highway below.
A swimming pool at Villa Rosa Kempinski. /TRIPADVISOR
On the super presidential suite, there is an outdoor jacuzzi under the rooftop terrace with its exclusive recreation space.
In 2019, the hotel introduced 24-carat gold Cappucino, an edible class of tea that retails for Ksh5,500. A night at Vila Rosa Kempinski goes for Ksh18,500.
That was not enough. Over the weekend, a vehicle attached to FLOTUS' motorcade, a Chevrolet Suburban, was spotted at a petrol station in Parklands refuelling.
Only nine Kenyan journalists were selected to be integrated with the First Lady's press team and were given red passes to join her motorcade. According to Jacqueline, they all had to undergo multiple layers of security checks before and during the first lady’s visit.
At every place Dr Biden visited throughout her tour, movements were tightly controlled, and journalists were instructed on how to conduct themselves.
As part of the series of security measures before, during and after Dr Biden's visit, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) shut down the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Terminal 2 for two days; on Friday, February 24 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on Sunday, February 26, between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm to facilitate her ease of movement during her travels.
Kenya has experience receiving high-profile US government officials including presidents and first ladies. As has always been the case, the host governments work with the US government on modalities of security to ensure the safety of the VIPs.
The First Lady's security detail, which included members of the Secret Service worked closely with Kenyan security agencies to put in place a comprehensive security plan for the visit. The plan included measures to secure the venues and routes that the First Lady visited, as well as the surrounding areas.
The police and other security agencies heightened their presence in the areas where the First Lady was scheduled to visit. In addition to these measures, the Kenyan government also activated its intelligence-gathering capabilities to monitor any potential threats to the First Lady's safety.
Other US dignitaries who recently visited the country include the US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen who toured the country in January 2023.
US First Lady Jill Biden bids goodbye as she prepares to leave Kenya on February 26, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO
