NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 – Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson has renewed calls for the return of prosecutorial powers to county governments, saying the move is essential to curbing rogue developers and enforcing building regulations following the collapse of a 14-storey building in South C.
Speaking on Sunday after visiting the disaster site, Sakaja said counties are often left powerless after taking enforcement action, as cases against developers stall once they reach the prosecution stage.
“Counties can issue stop orders, make arrests and take enforcement action, but once matters go to court, the process often stalls. If we are serious about protecting lives, counties must be granted prosecutorial powers to decisively deal with developers who violate building regulations,” Sakaja said.
He argued that restoring limited prosecutorial authority to counties would enable swift action against violators and help prevent tragedies linked to illegal or non-compliant construction.
“This building did not collapse out of nowhere. It had been flagged multiple times by our enforcement teams, and the tragedy we are witnessing today is the result of laws that are not followed through to their conclusion,” the Governor added.
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Sakaja expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and assured them that investigations into the collapse are ongoing.
Rogues developers
He also noted that some developers initially submit names of qualified professionals, including architects and engineers, but later sideline them in favor of cheaper, unqualified alternatives—a practice that often leads to unsafe structures and eventual collapses.
These concerns were previously outlined in a letter dated December 1, 2023, from the Nairobi City County Department of Urban Development and Planning to professional bodies in the built environment.
The letter cited professional negligence, including supervising projects without county approvals, implementing works contrary to approved plans, misrepresenting information on architectural and engineering drawings, and failing to comply with statutory inspections.
The Governor’s remarks come amid revelations that the Nairobi City County Government had repeatedly flagged the collapsed building months before the incident.
County records show enforcement operations at the site in May 2025, July 2025, and December 8, 2025, leading to several arrests over violations of approved construction standards.
City Hall has blamed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for declining to prefer charges, allowing construction to continue despite cited infractions.
According to a situation report by City Hall, the building, located at Plot No. 209/5909/10 along Kiganjo Muhoho Avenue in South C Ward, had multiple serious infractions before it suffered a catastrophic pancake collapse in the early hours of January 2, 2026, with at least two people trapped beneath the debris.
Emergency response teams from Nairobi City County were immediately deployed to the scene, working alongside the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion, and the Nairobi Fire Brigade.
A multi-agency command centre was established to coordinate debris removal and search-and-rescue operations.
