Nairobi County and State agencies put on the spot over rising building collapses

The Nairobi County government and national authorities have been urged to take urgent action and ensure accountability following a series of fatal building collapses reported across Nairobi. In a press statement released on Saturday, grassroots economic justice movement Mtetezi, the group accused authorities of presiding over a systemic failure that has turned construction sites into death traps, rather than isolated incidents of structural weakness. The statement, issued by Mtetezi chairperson Francis Awino, comes in the wake of a partial collapse of a 22-storey building under construction in Westlands, which left several workers trapped and at least one person dead. The incident occurred just days after another building collapse in Shauri Moyo on March 16 that claimed four lives. Earlier tragedies in South C and Karen also resulted in the deaths of two workers. Mtetezi argued that the repeated incidents point to deep-rooted institutional failures in the planning, approval and enforcement of building standards. “Buildings do not collapse only because concrete is weak. Buildings collapse because institutions are weak,” the statement read. The movement outlined a series of systemic failures it believes are driving the crisis, including manipulation of planning data to justify unsafe developments, irregular or unlawful approvals, and widespread non-compliance with zoning regulations. It also cited violations of critical safety standards such as setbacks, ventilation and public health requirements, alongside what it described as weak enforcement of existing laws. According to the group, regulatory actions such as stop orders and revocations have become ineffective, with construction often continuing despite official warnings. “A stop order that does not stop anything is not enforcement. A revocation that does not halt construction is not accountability,” the statement added. Mtetezi has now called on Johnson Sakaja to publicly disclose the approval, inspection and enforcement history of all buildings involved in recent collapses. It also urged county planning and development control departments to reveal details of high-risk structures currently under investigation or dispute. At the national level, the movement called on key regulatory bodies, including the National Construction Authority, the Engineers Board of Kenya and the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors, to identify professionals linked to the affected projects and confirm whether disciplinary proceedings have been initiated. The group maintained that without transparency and strict enforcement of building regulations, more lives remain at risk, warning that the recent collapses should serve as a wake-up call to both county and national authorities.