Sarit is a

shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

in the Westlands neighbourhood of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya. Opened in 1983, it is first ever shopping centre to be launched in independent Kenya. Following its expansion, Sarit Centre is the largest mall in East & Central Africa with 800,000 square feet of retail space.

Overview

Construction of Sarit Centre began in 1981, with its architectural design based on the

Brent Cross Shopping Centre Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a large shopping centre in Hendon, North London, owned by Hammerson and Abrdn. Located by the Brent Cross interchange, it opened in 1976 as the UK's first Out-of-town shopping centres in the United Kingdom, out-of-t ...

in London. With the rising political instability in the early 1980s, construction was halted and the business class that had applied for the 200 rental units withdrew as others left Kenya. The mall was opened in April 1983 with only two tenants: Uchumi Supermarket and Text Book Centre – Uchumi Supermarket chain later closed in 2018, while Text Book Centre remains operational to-date. The shopping centre was fully let by the end of 1984. Over the years, Sarit Centre, has undergone three architectural and constructional revamps that has redefined the centre's initial purpose of commercial centre to a more

mixed-use Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

development, making it the largest shopping centre in Kenya. Development of the third and most recent phase which was primarily retail began in 2017. Sarit, like any other shopping centre, provides an array of services from a retail supermarkets; fast food restaurants; fashion and accessories shops; electronics and technology shops; banking and services; a movie theatre; gym; gaming establishments; and outdoor recreation centre.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://sarityourcity.com/ Shopping malls established in 1983 Shopping malls in Nairobi