The construction of the tallest building in the Mt. Kenya region has commenced. The Mixed-Use Urban Development project dubbed “The Praise Mall” covers a total area of 0.4 hectares of land along Meru-Embu-Nairobi Highway in Meru town, Meru County.
The over US$ 42M project is developed by Jesus House of Praise International church and the construction works are being carried out by Jianxi Jingtai Water Conservancy and Electric Power Construction Ltd.
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The scope of the work includes the construction of a thirty-story building with 2 lower ground levels, construction of driveways, sidewalks and parking bays, installation of development utilities (water, drainage, electricity, health, and safety systems, IT systems and security) and site landscaping/beautification. The entire work is expected to take 3 years to complete.
The eventual Praise Mall will comprise Office spaces, Retail spaces, serviced apartments, hotels, a swimming pool, gym, modern conference facilities, Church halls, a 200 capacity Parking space, and associated ancillary facilities.
Boost to economy
The project will benefit the local economy through the utilization of locally available materials such as building stones, iron sheets, timber, bricks, paint, electrical cables, water storage equipment, water pipes, steel, glasses, fencing posts, sand, cement, fuels, etc. and paying of taxes to the government.
Furthermore, construction and operation of the project are expected to offer employment opportunities ranging from unskilled, casual workers, semi-skilled and formal employees in building and construction, hospitality, health, agriculture, and other sectors of the economy.
Elias Murega, Municipality MCA, said that the mall is going to completely alter the skyline and raise the profile of Meru town as well as serve as a signature building in the region and a welcoming feature to the capital of Meru due to its location at the very entrance of the town’s Central Business District.
