Eastleigh business community denies claims of criminal links

Eastleigh Business Community chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi addressing the media on January 13, 2026. /SCREENGRAB

The Eastleigh Business Community has strongly denied claims suggesting that Somali-owned enterprises are involved in criminal activities, including money laundering.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the association said the Somali business community was being unfairly targeted by allegations that businesses in the Eastleigh commercial hub are proceeds of crime.

The claims include supposed involvement in piracy, tax evasion, misuse of funds from northern Kenya counties, and purported links to an international fraud case in Minnesota, United States.

“Eastleigh is under attack, not by facts, not by evidence, but by persistent falsehoods, innuendo, and deliberate propaganda that have circulated over decades to undermine the reputation of Eastleigh-based businesses and the community behind them,” said Eastleigh Business Community chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi.

The association described the allegations as “false, reckless, and deeply damaging.”

According to the statement, recent claims focus on a major commercial development in Eastleigh, which has been linked in reports to alleged fraudulent activities in Minnesota.

The association noted that the development was financed through documented private equity investments and regulated bank financing.

Abdullahi said the property was redeveloped in 2018 by a long-standing businessman who has operated in Eastleigh for decades.

The association argued that allegations connecting Eastleigh businesses to criminal activity have not emerged from investigative agencies, financial regulators, or courts, but rather from political actors, certain clergy members, and social media commentators.

It added that it has reached out to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and other relevant agencies to address the matter, while cautioning the public against unverified claims.

“Repeated falsehoods risk being accepted as truth. That is why we are speaking to the Kenyan public today,” Abdullahi said.

The statement also highlighted the business hub’s growth as a product of resilience and long-term investment.

“Eastleigh businesses were not built overnight; they were built from the ground up over decades. This is how businesses grow elsewhere in the world, and Eastleigh is no exception,” it said.

Eastleigh is a bustling and diverse commercial area in Nairobi, known for its high entrepreneurial activity, particularly among the Somali community.

It facilitates trade in goods from across Africa and Asia and features major malls, high-density residential areas, and a thriving informal economy.

The hub contributes significantly to Kenya’s economy through retail, hospitality and wholesale trade.