Raphael Tuju was evicted from his Nairobi business park early Saturday in a tense raid that has left him locked out and fighting to get back inside. More than 50 officers from the Rapid Response Unit showed up at Dari Business Park in the Karen suburb, forcing staff to leave and sealing the gates without showing any court papers, according to videos Tuju posted online right after the incident.
The move stems from a decade-old debt of around Sh2 billion that Tuju owes the East African Development Bank. The bank has been pushing to auction the property for some time now, and this weekend’s action came after Tuju lost several key court rounds.
The complex houses popular spots like Tamarind Restaurant plus other businesses that bring in steady income. For many who work there, Saturday started like any other day until the officers arrived and everything changed in a hurry.
Tuju shared shaky phone footage that shows the officers moving through the compound, telling workers to pack up and step outside. In one clip he speaks directly to the camera, saying no one produced a court order or explained the sudden lockout.
He sounded frustrated and surprised, pointing out that he had just won a small victory in court days earlier. Justice Josephine Mongare had allowed his side to present an appeal on March 17, giving him hope that the auction could be paused. Instead, the raid happened just days later, leaving him wondering who really gave the green light.
The East African Development Bank has stayed quiet on the exact timing, but court records show they have been chasing repayment for years. Tuju’s team argues the process skipped important steps and that the bank moved too fast while an appeal window was still open.
Lawyers watching the case say this kind of quick enforcement is not unusual when big loans go unpaid, but the lack of visible paperwork in the videos has raised eyebrows among people following the story online.
Karen residents and business owners in the area woke up to the news and started asking questions. Some said they saw police vehicles lining the road near the park and wondered if more evictions were coming. Others felt for the staff who suddenly found themselves without a workplace for the day.
Tamarind Restaurant, known for its good food and steady crowd, had to turn customers away or shift plans at the last minute. One regular diner posted that he drove all the way there only to find the gates chained shut and a small group of workers standing outside looking confused.
Tuju himself has not spoken much beyond the videos he shared. In them he walks around the locked entrance, explaining how the park has been part of his life for a long time and how the debt battle has dragged on far longer than anyone expected.
He hints that someone higher up may have pushed for the raid despite the pending appeal, though he stops short of naming names. His supporters online have started using the story to talk about how powerful lenders can move fast when ordinary people or smaller businesses fall behind.
This is not the first time Tuju has found himself in the middle of a public fight. He has held senior government roles in the past and remains a familiar face in Kenyan politics.
The business park was meant to be a steady source of income, but the long-running loan case has turned it into a headache that now plays out in courtrooms and on social media. Friends who know him say he is already talking with lawyers about next steps and plans to be in court on March 17 to argue his side of the appeal.
For the workers caught in the middle, Saturday felt like a lost day. Some went home early, while others waited nearby, hoping the situation would clear up.
One employee told a local reporter that they had no warning and simply followed instructions when the officers arrived. The bank has not commented on whether staff will be allowed back soon or if the property will stay closed until the auction process moves forward.
Kenya’s business community has watched cases like this before. When big loans sour, banks often move to recover what they can, but the human side – the workers, the daily operations, the sudden lockouts – rarely makes headlines until something like this video surfaces.
Tuju’s clips have sparked conversations about fairness in debt collection and whether courts need clearer rules to stop actions while appeals are still alive.
As Monday approaches, eyes turn to the March 17 hearing. Tuju’s team hopes the judge will slow things down and give them more time to sort the debt or find another way out.
The East African Development Bank, on the other hand, wants to move the auction along and recover the money owed. In the meantime the gates at Dari Business Park stay shut, the restaurant chairs sit empty, and the former cabinet secretary keeps posting updates from outside his own property.
The story has already drawn plenty of comments online, with some people siding with Tuju and others saying debts must be paid no matter who you are.
Whatever happens in court next, the weekend raid has turned a private loan battle into a very public one. For now, Raphael Tuju is on the outside looking in, waiting for his day in front of the judge and hoping the keys to his business park turn again soon.
