Nairobi OTC Building Famous For Green Net Unveiled [VIDEO]

The landmark building at Overseas Trading Company (OTC) along Ronald Ngala street in Nairobi has finally let go of its viral green net cover after years of it being under construction.

Photos of the building, whose construction was backed by billionaire Victor Maina Ngunjiri, circulated on social media hours after the net was fully removed.

However, Kenyans were perplexed at the sight of the new-look building, with one of them sharing a video lamenting the challenges that await newcomers to the capital, particularly those coming from upcountry who have their bus stops at Machakos Country Bus station.

The wavy-shaped building features over 8 floors and was branded with cream and brown colours with some sections painted white.

Here's the video of the new building:

Storey building at OTC in Nairobi County, which is famous for its green net cover, finally pulled off after years under construction.#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/qTHorE8no7 — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) March 15, 2023

"People are about to get lost in Nairobi...the net has come down. Goodbye...Ngatia bye.

"To get lost you will get lost properly. First of all, I know you don't know where this is," a male voice could be heard in the video.

"I am from Mombasa and when I came to Nairobi, I always knew that I arrived in the city after seeing the green net. Now that it has been removed, I will have to wait till the vehicle reaches the stage," Brian Raynold echoed.

The building recently went viral on social media when a photo of a similar building emerged on social media with allegations that the famous net was pulled down. However, fact-checks revealed that the photos belonged to a building in Uganda.

History of OTC Building Taking 10 Years To Build

The OTC building was bought by Ngunjiri, and it previously hosted the Jack N Jill supermarket in 2006 before he demolished it in 2013, a move that caused Jack N Jill owner, Schon Noorani, to suffer heavy losses after looters made away with goods worth millions of shillings.

By the time the building was demolished, Maina had asked Noorani to vacate the premises as he wanted to do some renovations.

Noorani however refused, forcing Maina to head to the Business Premises Rent Tribunal citing the dilapidated condition of the building.

When the court approved the renovation of the building, the millionaire supermarket owner was ordered to vacate the premises within one week, an order he opposed yet again. Noorani countered this by heading to court to bar Maina from forcefully evicting him from the premises.

The order was later lifted after the Court of Appeal found the grounds unjustified and erroneous. However, in May 2013, Noorani was shocked to witness his multimillion investment being brought down brick by brick.

The netted building along Ronald Ngala street at the OTC stage was built at the same spot where Jack N Jill supermarket stood, occupying more than a quarter acre of land and being surrounded by iron sheets at the base.

The rest of the building was covered by construction safety nets which were reported to have been in place for more than 10 years.

During that period, it became a landmark on its own, being famous with Eastlands residents and those travelling upcountry using the Machakos Bus terminal.