Collapsed buildings: DCI sleuths grill Urban Planning officials at City Hall
By Adieri Mulaa
Detectives investigating circumstances surrounding the collapse of two multi-story buildings in the city that caused deaths and injuries are pursuing forensic leads to establish how the architectural plans were approved.
Sleuths on assignment from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have reportedly retrieved vital documents that were submitted to the planning department at City Hall for approval.
So far, several top officials in the Built Environment and Urban Planning Sector are said to have recorded statements at the Kilimani Police Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The sector is headed by the Nairobi County government Built Environment and Urban Planning County Executive Committee Member Patrick Mbogo.
Others include Lands Chief Officer Cecilia Koigu, Chief Officer Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo, Chief Officer Housing and Urban Renewal and acting County Secretary Godfrey Akumali.
On Friday, January 2, 2026 a 16 storey building under construction in South C collapsed killing two people. Reports indicated that initially, the county government had approved 12 floors. However, four extra floors were added irregularly after the approved construction was completed.
Hardly two weeks later, on January 11, 2026 another building under construction collapsed in the up market Karen suburbs killing two people and injuring several others at the site.
It is common practice for the planning department at City Hall to invite developers who have constructed buildings without approval to submit their architectural and structural plans for regularisation.
This practice has encouraged the mushrooming of planned structures in the city. Claims have been made that kick backs are readily dished out by unscrupulous developers who flout building regulations with impunity.
They deliberately fail to seek approval from the relevant authorities because planning officials at City Hall have highly monetized the approval processes, one source said.
Over the years, Nairobi City County Government has had building inspection officers. The role of building inspectors is to ensure construction works comply with safety requirements according to structural and building codes.
Soon after ascending to office, on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 Governor Johnson Sakaja unveiled new members of of Nairobi City County Urban Planning Technical Committee (UPTC).
The aim was to tame unscrupulous developers in the built environment who circumvent or the ignore the building code.
Members of the UPTC were drawn from the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), Institute of Engineers in Kenya (IEK), Institute of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK), Kenya Alliance of Residents Association (KARA), Kenya Institute of Planners (KIP), Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the CECM incharge and all technical officers in the respective departments.
However, along the way in 2024, it was revealed in the County Assembly that for unknown reasons, two of the governor’s aides were also seating in the technical committee, with express authority to direct which plans were to be approved.
The role of the committee comprising professionals in the built environment was to facilitate evaluation and consideration of applications for development permission that are submitted to the planning authority.
A senior officials in the planning department who spoke to The Informer Weekly on anonymity confirmed existence of the Committee.
DCI detectives are now tracing the approval audit trail to establish how extra floors were approved on the South C building. The sleuths are determined to unmask culpable officers who were involved in irregularities.
Initially, unconfirmed reports indicated that underhand deals including bribery could have been used to validate illegal approval in the South C building.
On Thursday, January 22, sources at City Hall told The Informer Weekly that detectives had carted away vital documents from the Urban Development and Planning Sector to aid in forensic investigations.
