Mukesh Ambani Sells Kenya Building For Rs 115cr

Mumbai, Oct 6: A few weeks ago, a plush 21-storey building in the commercial district of Nairobi was sold to the World Bank for nearly $23 million (approx Rs 115 crore), making it the largest single property deal in East Africa. The seller: Mukesh Ambani.

The billionaire Indian businessman has a little-known realty venture in Kenya in partnership with builder Jaydev Mody's Delta Corp and their firm has emerged as a major player in the region.

The elder Ambani has been steadily upping his interest in East Africa, a continent that forms a key component of his firm Reliance Industries' internationalization strategy. It was in 2007 that the energy-to-education conglomerate made its big move by acquiring a majority stake and management control of Gapco, a petroleum downstream company with a presence in several countries including Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Interestingly, though Ambani has little play in property development in India, the chairman of RIL has made significant investments in Kenya's real estate market. RIL Group holds a 60% stake in the joint venture with Delta Corp and the partnership firm has so far invested $40 million in the region. The JV firm, established in 2008, has one million square feet of land which is at various stages of development.

From: http://www.indiatvnews.com/business/India/Mukesh_Ambani_Sells_Kenya_Building_For_Rs_cr-520.html