Mary Wambui, one of Kenya's richest women, loses court bid to stop Equity Bank takeover of Glee Hotel

A Kenyan businesswoman has lost the latest round in a high-stakes fight to hold on to one of Nairobi's most prominent luxury hotels, after the High Court refused to loosen a lender's grip on the property.

Mary Wambui Mungai failed to persuade the court to suspend the administrator that Equity Bank appointed over her five-star Glee Hotel, leaving control of the establishment in the bank's hands as the wider dispute grinds on. Justice Freda Mugambi ruled that the hotel had not shown sufficient grounds for the interim orders it sought and found no evidence that the administrator had disrupted operations since taking office on July 6.

At the heart of the case is a debt the two sides value very differently. Equity Bank told the court the outstanding amount stood at about $70 million (KSh 9.1 billion) as of July 3, while Wambui's side put the figure at roughly $60 million (KSh 7.75 billion), reflecting a settlement reached earlier this year. The gap between those numbers has become a central battleground in the litigation.

The court was unmoved by the hotel's attempt to buy protection. Glee Hotel offered to deposit about $3.1 million (KSh 400 million) while the bank's insolvency petition was determined, but the judge held that the sum was not proportionate to the debt claimed. Weighing the factors together, she declined to grant any interim relief, leaving administrator Kamal Anantroy Bhatt in charge of the 211-room property on the Northern Bypass in Runda.

The dispute traces back to a consent agreement recorded on February 24. Under that deal, Equity Bank agreed to accept about $60 million (KSh 7.75 billion) in full and final settlement of debts owed by Wambui and related entities, a figure that represented roughly 85 percent of the total she owed. The amount was to be financed through a refinancing arrangement with KCB Bank Kenya, and the parties expressly agreed that time was of the essence, setting a 45-day payment window.

That window closed without payment. When the refinancing failed to complete and an earlier court reprieve lapsed, Equity moved to appoint an administrator over the hotel, effective July 6. Wambui had earlier been ordered to pay about $775,000 (KSh 100 million) as a condition for temporarily halting the bank's power of sale, but the refinancing she was counting on never crossed the line.

Her lawyers argued that the administration was already inflicting commercial damage, telling the court that publicity around the takeover had prompted key clients to reconsider their business with the hotel. They maintained that Wambui was not disputing the debt and remained committed to clearing it, pointing to the KCB refinancing as evidence of good faith. The bank countered that no binding refinancing had been signed and that the proposed deposit was, in its words, a drop in the ocean.

The property at the center of the fight is a landmark. Glee Hotel sits on eight acres and carries an open-market valuation of about $74 million (KSh 9.5 billion), a scale that has made it one of the most visible assets associated with Wambui's business interests. Losing it would mark a heavy blow to an empire built across hospitality, real estate and government supply contracts over many years.

The security backing the loans extends well beyond the hotel itself. Court filings show that assets charged to the bank include properties in Runda, Westlands and South B in Nairobi, as well as land in Ruiru, Thindigua and Ruaka in Kiambu County, underscoring how much of Wambui's portfolio is exposed to the outcome.

Wambui is a familiar name in Kenyan business and public life. She chairs the Athi Water Works Development Agency and has long been linked to major government procurement contracts. Her profile has also drawn scrutiny, including tax-related charges brought in 2021 against her and her daughter over earnings connected to state tenders, a matter that attracted wide attention at the time.

The case has become something of a test of how Kenyan courts handle large commercial debt disputes involving politically connected business figures. The judge has directed the parties to file submissions on preliminary objections and fixed July 23 for a ruling on those objections before turning to the main application, meaning the substantive fight over the administration is far from settled.

For now, the balance of power sits with the lender. The administrator is an officer of the court, and the judge signaled that she would step in if it became clear that intervention was needed, but she saw no basis to do so at this stage.

Wambui's path to reclaiming Glee Hotel now runs through a debt she has struggled for months to clear.