Who Owns the Land Around the Baganashyl Orphanage?

At first glance, it might seem that the story of the orphanage in Baganashyl has come to an end — even a positive one. But things did not turn out the way civil society had hoped.

A closer look shows that the issue was settled through a distorted compromise. Orda.kz explores the latest turn in the orphanage’s story — and why, even after being preserved, it has somehow become redundant.

One Institution As a Reflection of The Entire System

In early October, news emerged that the children from the Baganashyl orphanage would be moved to another center while their building underwent renovation.

Both the relocation and the renovation were exactly what the children and staff had been protesting against. They had asked not to be separated, to let the oldest students finish their studies and graduate within a year or two.

The children will be temporarily accommodated in Boarding School No. 1. The center’s building will be completely renovated. Integra LLP has taken responsibility for the work as part of its corporate social responsibility,  the October 8 announcement said.

Preparations have begun in Almaty for the reconstruction of the Center for Supporting Children in Need of Special Social Services No. 2. While repairs are underway, the children will be temporarily relocated to Boarding School No. 1.

A perfect quote — except it is not immediately obvious that this refers to Baganashyl. The officials used the formal name of another institution, avoiding mention of the now well-known orphanage. And that alone is enough to cause confusion; in the swamp of official titles, without the familiar local name, one can easily lose their bearings.

How many companies in Kazakhstan are called Integra? Dozens.

Some trade, others provide various services. The one mentioned in the release has an identical name to a long-established firm that owns property and land, yet oddly pays no taxes and works in an unrelated field. Clearly, that’s not the one involved.

Costly Decay

We have visited the orphanage in Baganashyl several times. 

The attention was always centered on the institution itself and its grounds. Meanwhile, the surrounding area kept changing.

This time, moving slowly through the neighborhood, we noticed a few details that raised questions. As for the orphanage itself, there was no construction equipment on site — apparently, work had not yet begun.

It seemed that the buildings were empty, though we couldn’t say for sure. The children could have simply gone for a walk.

Still, we did spot someone inside.

Now, about the territory behind the orphanage.

What’s around it? Mostly spacious private homes. The orphanage sits within a triangle formed by Al-Farabi, Syrgabekov, and Vodoprovodnaya streets.

Closer to Al-Farabi, the houses are occupied and well-kept: no boarded windows, no signs of neglect, and plenty of barking dogs guarding the yards.

The homes nearer to Syrgabekov are also protected by dogs, but they appear abandoned.

Our assumption is that the land is being bought up for future construction, though the project itself has not yet clearly started. Some owners still visit their houses, and to prevent looting, they leave dogs behind.

But what exactly is being built?

Next to the orphanage, a section of fencing has been installed, decorated with an old slogan once dreamed up by designers: “Almaty is our common home.”

On one side, the unnamed construction site borders Al-Farabi Avenue. On the other, behind the fence, stand a football field and a tennis court enclosed by high walls — probably used by the children from the center.

Otherwise, their purpose is unclear.

Along the entire fence line, there was no project information board at the time of our visit.

Yet behind the tall fence, demolition of private homes was already underway, and the frame of a new structure had begun to rise.

The land has clearly been purchased, but cadastral records show that most of the plots enclosed by the shared fence are still listed as privately owned.

The only exception is a border section registered to a company called Prisma T LLP.

Who Is Building?

The company’s origins are tied to a man named Nurkeldy Kenesbekov. There isn’t much public information about him, except that this is not the only firm he has owned or managed (from July 2021 to August 2022).

Born in 1993, Kenesbekov has founded and led several companies, including Agroservis Baiserke & Co LLP, Agrex Prime LLP, Sara LLC, and Baiserke Agro LLP, which specializes in grain storage and warehousing.

In 2024, the company paid 6.2 million tenge in taxes. At Baiserke Agro, where Kenesbekov is the director, the founder is listed as Lyaila Ospanova.

Nurlan and Lyaila Ospanov were included in 2015 on the list of affiliated persons of KEGOC JSC, Kazakhstan’s national electricity grid operator.

Another company founded by Kenesbekov, Zhetysu Hydro LLP, is managed by Marat Kynatov, who became the general director of Kazhydromet in 2016.

In 2019, Kynatov appeared on the list of affiliated persons of the National Company Prodcorporation, which handles state purchases and domestic grain sales.

From August 2022 to January 2024, the founder of Prisma T LLP was Saltanat Sarybekova, who earned her PhD in Kazakhstan in 2019 with a dissertation on “The Concept of Criminal Offense in the Criminal Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan.”

All mentions of Sarybekova online relate to academic work.

Another founder, Zhanibek Tattibayev, held shares from April 2023 to January 2024 and also manages and owns Amanat Contractors LLP, which builds residential housing. He is also listed as the director of Brothers VHD Group LLP.

The current owner and director, since February 2025, is Bolat Baimuldin. Nothing is known about him.

Tax data shows a maximum payment of 303,000 tenge for the incomplete 2025 fiscal year. The company itself has been operating for four years.

An auto repair service is not entirely out of place here — across the road from the orphanage, there is a gas station called Baganashyl.

Al-Farabi Avenue

Across from the orphanage, along with the gas station, stands the Embassy of Tajikistan.

And once again, vast plots of land stretch nearby — one fenced off, with private houses inside that appear to be doing quite well on about 0.7 hectares. Beyond the fence, however, lie less-maintained properties that seem to be awaiting demolition.

The company’s owners are Zhomart Ablasanov and Zhanel Zhetpisbay.

AB Development Kazakhstan has founded several other entities: the private company TLC Minerals Limited, Qaynar Balyk LLP, and Dragon Lakshme Group KZ LLP.

The land under a large, elegant residential complex there is shared among three owners: Omirex LLP, Sana Business LLP, and TLCo LLP.

Omirex LLP is known to be affiliated with Timur Kulibayev, among others.

Omirex is registered as a holding company. In 2024, it paid 9.6 million tenge in taxes. Over the years, it has appeared on lists of affiliated persons of major joint-stock companies through its participants.

The firm was founded more than 16 years ago.

And so, the orphans — those we have written about so often — and other children in difficult life circumstances have ended up as neighbors to some of Kazakhstan’s most powerful business figures.

A kind of business Hollywood, just steps away from their former home.

The Official Version

At the height of the dispute over the Baganashyl orphanage, we were given a clear explanation for why the children were supposed to be moved out of the city.

According to information obtained by Orda.kz, the land beneath the orphanage was being considered for a private cottage development. A specific real estate operator was reportedly interested in the project, with support allegedly coming from a senior KNB officer.

President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev personally halted the relocation, and whether such plans existed or not, they will not be realized.

Orda.kz sent an official inquiry to the city Akimat to find out what was happening. The first response avoided the main questions. After resubmitting and appealing, we eventually received an answer that clarified the situation.

The children no longer live at the orphanage. Together with the staff, they were moved to the Department of Education’s Center for Supporting Children in Need of Special Social Services No. 2, located at 22a Yelebekov Street. Reportedly, all the children were relocated together, without being split up.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time the land around the orphanage has attracted attention. Even back in the 2000s, parts of the property were carved off — and not by just anyone, but by the regional akim himself.

Original Author: Alexandra Mokhireva