Renowned Hotel Mogul Kuldip Sondhi Dies in Mombasa

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Renowned Indian-born Kenyan tourism mogul Kuldip Sondhi has passed away aged 97.

Sondhi, who owned the famous Reef Hotel in Mombasa, Reef in Kwale, and Pemba Hotels in Tanzania, died of natural causes in in Mombasa on Monday.

"He died this morning at Reef Hotel facing the gardens he so loved with the Indian Ocean breeze over his body," his son Ranjit Sondhi said.

Ranjit said the body of his father will be cremated in Mombasa on Wednesday. The deceased served as a nominated councillor in Mombasa between 2002 and 2007.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala eulogized Sondhi as a “passionate hotelier and very outspoken about sustainable growth of beach tourism in the Kenyan coast.”

Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) chairman Mohamed Hersi described Sondhi as a man who built the Reef Group of Hotels from scratch, adding that he was a firm believer in destination Kenya.

Sondhi was also a prolific playwright with 12 short stories, 17 plays, and several anthologies published in the course of his 17-year writing career. His short stories Bad Blood and The Suit won the best East Africa story award.

His plays such as Tides, Parlour Games, Beach Access, Room Service, and Parlour Storm aired and won accolades with the British Broadcasting Corporation.
 
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