MCA Alai claims chiefs, cartels pocket Ksh.30M to push illegal high-rises in Nairobi estates

Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai has alleged that powerful cartels pocket around Ksh.30 million to drive illegal high-rise developments in Nairobi’s affluent estates.

In a video posted on his social media pages, Alai claimed developers were using intimidation, bribery and manipulation of public participation processes to push through controversial projects.

Alai spoke after a viral video emerged of him allegedly storming a public participation meeting and reportedly assaulting local administrators present.

“On the issue of Rhapta Road, don’t listen to the nonsense out there from the criminal cartels behind the illegal developments. Now they have bribed some doctors at Nairobi Women’s Hospital to generate fake medical reports and give DCI Kilimani. But defeating cartels is a mission we are willing to handle,” he noted.

The MCA questioned why public participation meetings for developments were conducted during Monday's fuel protests, arguing that many residents could not attend.

“Public participation is a constitutional process but people take it as a formality. These processes, which are NEMA processes, most of the people, even nearby residents, because it was during protests, foreigners were advised not to leave their homes,” he remarked. 

“When they hear public participation is happening in the neighbourhood, they were worried. I wondered what is the hurry of conducting the public participation on a day where there’s insecurity and people can’t attend.”

Alai also raised concerns over the growing number of high-rise developments in estates such as Kileleshwa, Lavington, Kilimani, Waruku and Kawangware, saying the existing infrastructure cannot sustain the rapid densification.

“Now Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you can’t get electricity in Lavington, Kileleshwa, Waruku and Kawangware. They get a blackout from 7-9 pm because the capacity that was to serve the area was supposed to serve us last in 1997,” he stated.

The MCA further accused some local administrators of facilitating developments that allegedly violate zoning regulations.

“That road, they want to build 25 floors. The court ruled, when the Rhapta residents went to court, they said the maximum they can do is 16 floors, which the residents still opposed because Kileleshwa is under Zone 4 where you can’t build more than four floors," he said.

“In that notice for development, it states 20 floors, you wonder why the chief is facilitating. You find the chief of Kileleshwa and the chief of Kilimani walking together like a cartel.”

Alai said he intends to support legal action by residents opposing the developments, insisting leaders should not remain silent when communities raise concerns.

“I want to facilitate a legal process so that residents will not say I was silent. The residents are blaming you while you’re not aware there’s such a process,” he stated.

He also alleged that some developments were being guarded by armed individuals, claiming huge sums of money exchange hands during approval processes.

“When you go to some of these developments, you find them armed because it seems like some people collect Ksh.20 million to Ksh.30 million on these processes,” he claimed.

“People are interested in quick money, no one is asking how Nairobi will look like in 50 years. It’s unfortunate that everyone wants to cut corners, get money and go their way. No one is thinking about the development programme.”

His remarks were centred on the Court of Appeal's 2025 ruling in the Rhapta Road zoning case, paving the way for high-rise developments in Nairobi’s posh estates while directing Nairobi City County to update zoning regulations within six months in line with the 2019 Physical and Land Use Planning Act.

The court noted that a policy vacuum between the expiry of pre-2010 Nairobi City Development Ordinances and the still-ungazetted 2021 Development Control Policy had contributed to uncontrolled vertical expansion across the city.

Residents of Rhapta and Kileleshwa had opposed the construction of multiple high-rise buildings, arguing that the developments were leading to congestion, environmental degradation and the loss of green spaces.

In its ruling, the court stated that Nairobi’s future growth must be governed by lawful, transparent and participatory planning processes that take into account environmental sustainability and infrastructure capacity.