Suspected rogue officials at the Nairobi County government domiciled in City Planning and Urban Development Department are facing possible complicity for allegedly colluding with the arrested contractor of the collapsed Mirema building in Nairobi’s Kasarani area after it emerged the developer had defied construction laws amid alleged cover up by City Hall officials.
One person has since been arrested and arraigned.
However, investigators are curious establish the circumstances under which the owner, Joseph Wakiri managed to continue with the construction activities on LR no. 7960/80 located along Mirema Springs Estate, on Mirema Drive, in Roysambu Sub County without being issued with a single enforcement notice by the county despite flouting the laid down construction rules.
In a move that heavily indicts the Nairobi County officials, it was established that there was no evidence of supervision from both the architect and engineer during construction raising questions on why the construction of the multi-storey building was being undertaken illegally without any legal action being enforced.
The county has since taken over the site and taken samples to the National Building Inspectorate (NBI) for testing.
Today, acting Nairobi County Secretary who doubles as the Chief Officer, of Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo said the building in question collapsed at around midnight on Sunday, September 24, 2023.
Before his appointment as the acting County Secretary and to his substantive position of the Chief Officer, Analo served as the in charge of Development Control at City Hall even when another six storey condemned building collapsed in Kasarani claiming three lives owned by Joel Kamau Kibe in November 2022.
Thus, Analo has deep institutional memory in the department.
“I hereby confirm that a building for development of Flats was being erected on LR no. 7960/80 located along Mirema Springs Estate, on Mirema Drive, in Roysambu Sub County, under construction by and owned by Joseph Wakiri as per records in our possession collapsed at around midnight on 24th September 2023.” Analo said through a statement.
Analo added that: “The contractor/developer has since been arrested and arraigned in court and given cash bail of Kes. 500,000/- he is currently remanded in Nairobi west remand prison.”
Analo confirmed that the Nairobi County government’s Urban Planning Department had approved application for development of the building, but that the developer went about it contrary to section 16 of the Building Code & Physical & Land Use Planning Act (2019).
“The developer had resisted past attempts for arrest by authorities and arraignment in court for illegalities. The Nairobi City County Government has since secured the site and taken samples to the National Building Inspectorate (NBI) for testing and results expected as soon as possible.” He noted.
He added: “The county government has also established that there was no evidence of supervision from both the architect and engineer.”
Cases of illegal developments in Nairobi have been rampant facilitated by rogue City Hall officers in collusion with unscrupulous developers.
On the Kasarani collapsed building that killed three people, the development had been flagged three times due to non-compliance including that fateful morning when everybody was cleared from the site but a few are said to have defied the orders.
Effectively, the building had been condemned as unsafe prior to yesterday’s tragic occurrence.
Further, the construction had been suspended vide order S/No. 143383 on September 20, 2022 due to non-compliance issues including forgery of the project registration certificate.
According to the National Construction Authority (NCA) Executive Director Engineer Maurice Akech, on that fateful day the now infamous project was suspended, Kibe’s site foreman one Sylvester Oluoch was arrested and detained at Kasarani Police Station.
“The developer on record for the construction is Joel Kamau Kibe.” NCA Director said.
