Sakaja says collapsed Eastleigh building lacked construction approval

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced a city-wide crackdown on illegal construction after disclosing that the collapsed Eastleigh building had no approved construction plan. He confirmed that records show an application for a 15-storey building with a basement was never granted, raising serious questions about professional responsibility and enforcement failures. Speaking at the collapse site, […]

Speaking at the collapse site, Governor Sakaja confirmed that an application for a 15-storey building with a basement had been submitted by developer John Mutia Musyoke, but it was never approved.

“We’ve looked at the documentation. An application was made to do 15 plus basement. The application was never granted, meaning there is no approval for this construction,” Sakaja said.

The governor clarified that while a change-of-user application for the property, belonging to the estate of the late Wilson Mutia Musyoke, was approved in 2024, the subsequent building application did not receive approval.

Sakaja has called for investigations into all professionals linked to the project, including the architect, physical planner, and engineering firm identified in county records. He demanded an explanation for how construction proceeded without the necessary approval.

Source: KBC