Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson has renewed calls for the return of prosecutorial powers to county governments, saying the move is critical to curbing rogue developers and enforcing compliance with 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,” he added.
The Governor further expressed his condolences to families who lost loved ones and assured them that investigations into the collapse are underway.
The Governor further noted that in some cases, developers obtain initial approvals and submit the names of qualified professionals such as architects and engineers only to later sideline them during construction in favour of cheaper, unqualified alternatives, a practice he said often leads to unsafe buildings and eventual collapses.
These concerns were previously captured 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 raised alarm over professional negligence by some architects and structural engineers, citing violations including supervising projects without county approvals, implementing works contrary to approved plans, misrepresenting information on architectural and engineering drawings, and failure to comply with statutory inspections. The county said such practices undermine building regulations and public safety, and pledged to work with professional bodies to pursue disciplinary and remedial action.
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 that enforcement teams carried out operations at the site in May 2025, July 2025 and on December 8, 2025, leading to several arrests over failure to comply with approved construction standards.
However, county sources say that after the suspects were arraigned in court, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions declined to prefer charges, allowing construction to continue despite the cited infractions.
According to a situation report issued by City Hall, the building located at Plot No. 209/5909/10 along Kiganjo Muhoho Avenue in South C Ward had been subjected to multiple enforcement actions over what authorities described as “a number of serious infractions.” Despite this history, the structure suffered a catastrophic pancake collapse in the early hours of January 2, 2026, with at least two people believed to be 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.
