Residents give Housing CS Wahome 7-day ultimatum over stalled South C building collapse probe
Members of the South C Residents Association have protested what they describe as government inaction and delayed investigations following the collapse of a 16-storey building along Muhoho Avenue in South C, Nairobi, earlier this year that claimed two lives.
In a protest letter dated May 11, 2026 and addressed to Lands, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, the residents accused the Ministry and relevant agencies of failing to enforce the law and prosecute those responsible for the deadly incident.
The letter, copied to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), National Construction Authority (NCA), Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), demanded urgent accountability over the January tragedy.
The residents argued that more than five months after the collapse of the building on Plot No. 68/1306, no meaningful action had been taken despite repeated public concerns and government assurances.
“We write on behalf of residents of South C and the wider Kenyan public to express our profound outrage, disappointment and concern over the continued silence and apparent inaction by the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development following the tragic collapse of the illegal 16-storey building located at Muhoho Avenue, South C,” the petition signed by South C Residents Association chairperson Abdi Karim Hassan stated in part.
The association further claimed that a petition submitted to the Ministry on April 17, 2026 had not received any response, deepening fears that influential individuals linked to illegal developments were being shielded from accountability.
“The silence from your Ministry and other enforcement agencies has created the disturbing perception that powerful individuals connected to the illegal developments are being protected at the expense of public safety and justice,” the letter added.
The residents issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding a progress report on investigations into the collapse and warned that any future tragedy resulting from unsafe buildings would rest squarely on the responsible institutions and officials.
The latest protest comes weeks after residents staged demonstrations outside Ardhi House in Nairobi, raising concerns over the safety of the adjacent 15-storey Bridge Port Apartments building, which they said was partially damaged during the collapse.
The association alleged that the apartment block had also violated approved building plans and posed a potential risk to residents and neighbouring properties.
The renewed concerns over building safety emerge even as another building collapse incident was reported in Kajiado County last week.
On Friday, May 8, an eight-storey building under construction collapsed in Olenairi area of Ololua Ward, leaving at least four workers feared trapped beneath the rubble.
