By Wakili Njenga
Email: wakilishupavu@gmail.com
The catastrophic collapse of the multi-storey structure at the intersection of 1st Avenue and 9th Street in Eastleigh is not just a tragedy—it is a damning indictment of impunity, official corruption, and system failure at the Nairobi City County Government.
In the immediate aftermath of the collapse, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja addressed the media, attempting to distance City Hall from the disaster by claiming that the county had only approved a “change of user” application and had never issued approval for the actual construction of the multi-storey edifice.
This defense is as dishonest as it is insulting to the intelligence of Nairobians.
The Governor’s public statements stand in direct contradiction to evidence and documents originating from his own administration’s offices.
While Sakaja attempts to portray City Hall as a helpless bystander victimized by a “rogue developer,” paper trails and ground realities reveal a deliberate, multi-layered betrayal of public trust:
* The Phantom Approvals and Contradictory Public Statements:
Governor Sakaja has issued contradictory explanations—first claiming that the building had architectural approvals, then backtracking to state that only a “change of user” was granted.
You cannot erect an 18-storey concrete structure in broad daylight at one of the busiest intersections in Eastleigh without City Hall enforcement officers seeing it.
If no structural plans were approved, why was construction allowed to proceed to 18 floors?
The Issuance of Occupation Certificates and Business Licenses:
Contrary to claims that City Hall bore no operational responsibility, county records and ground evidence tell a damning story.
The ground floor of this massive structure was actively housing commercial businesses that were issued single business permits and county licenses.
Furthermore, evidence indicates the issuance of occupation documentation allowing these traders into a site that was actively under construction.
How does City Hall collect revenue, issue trading permits, and grant occupation clearance for a building it claims it never authorized to be built?
Enforcement Compliance Breakdown:
Under Section 58 of the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, physical development cannot take place without strict monitoring.
City County physical planners, zoning inspectors, and enforcement officers visit Eastleigh daily.
For an illegal structure to reach 18 stories without being halted by County Development Control points to either catastrophic incompetence or deliberate bribery and cover-ups.
The Buck Stops at the Top
We are tired of the familiar script: a building collapses, lives are lost or shattered, and the Governor rushes to camera crews to blame “rogue developers,” weak Ksh 5,000 fines, or rogue professional bodies.
The developer may have poured the substandard concrete, but City Hall signed off on the impunity.
A “change of user” consent does not give anyone carte blanche to put lives in danger.
If the Nairobi City County Government granted a change of user, it was legally bound to monitor what was being erected on that land.
Collecting business levies from traders operating on the ground floor of an unapproved construction site makes the County Government an active accomplice to murder by negligence.
A Call for Immediate Resignations
Nairobians cannot continue to pay taxes to a county administration that functions as a revenue collector for illegalities while abdicating its primary constitutional duty: protecting the lives and property of its citizens.
We demand the following immediately:
The Immediate Resignation of the Head of the Urban Planning Department:
The County Executive and Chief Officer in charge of Urban Planning and Development Control must step down immediately.
Their failure to enforce planning laws, halt illegal multi-storey developments, and oversee their field inspectors makes their continued tenure unacceptable.
The Resignation of Governor Johnson Sakaja:
Leadership is about accountability, not public relations.
Governor Sakaja cannot disown his own county enforcement agencies, planning committees, and revenue collection officers whenever a crisis strikes.
Having failed to safeguard the building standards of the capital city and having overseen a culture of systemic negligence at City Hall, Governor Sakaja must resign.
An Independent Audit and Criminal Prosecution:
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) must immediately seize all planning, zoning, licensing, and inspection files for 1st Avenue / 9th Street.
Every officer who signed off on business licenses, occupation approvals, or turned a blind eye to the ongoing construction must be arrested and prosecuted alongside the developer.
Nairobi cannot wait for another building to bury innocent citizens before action is taken.
The culture of double-speak and finger-pointing at City Hall must end today.
Resign now!
Email: wakilishupavu@gmail.com
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