Sakaja suspends Chief Officer arrested with Ksh.65.3M in cash, disbands urban planning committee

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has suspended the County Chief Officer for Urban Planning, Patrick Analo, following his arrest by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over alleged corruption linked to the recovery of more than Ksh.65.3 million in cash from his private residence.

In a statement issued on Friday, Sakaja said the suspension takes immediate effect and will remain in force pending the conclusion of investigations by the anti-graft agency.

The Governor said Analo would not be allowed access to his office, official documents or county systems during the investigation period.

The move comes a day after EACC detectives announced the recovery of approximately Ksh.65.3 million in cash during searches at residences linked to the county official.

The anti-corruption agency said the operation was part of investigations into alleged irregular approval of building plans and suspected bribery within Nairobi County's urban planning department.

According to EACC, investigators recovered large amounts of money in multiple currencies, including Kenya shillings, US dollars and euros, during raids conducted in Nairobi.

Governor Sakaja said the county government respects the ongoing legal process and will cooperate fully with the EACC and other investigative agencies.

“Corruption has no place in public service. Every public officer is individually accountable for their actions and must be prepared to answer to the law where allegations of wrongdoing arise,” he said.

“All officers are reminded of this individual culpability as well as their professional responsibilities to their respective professional bodies. At the same time, we remain guided by the constitutional principle that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.”

To ensure continuity in operations, Sakaja appointed Director of Development Management Dominic Mutegi to serve in the position in acting capacity immediately.

The Governor also announced a sweeping overhaul of Nairobi County's development approval system.

He said the Urban Planning Technical Committee, which is responsible for processing development approvals, would be reconstituted immediately with representatives drawn from key professional bodies and government agencies, including the Civil Aviation Authority, the Kenya Institute of Planners, the Architectural Association of Kenya, the Engineers Board of Kenya, resident associations and Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company.

Sakaja further revealed that the county had proposed the deployment of an EACC liaison officer to work with the committee and members of the public on matters related to urban planning and development control.

“All processing of development approvals be suspended until the full reconstitution of this committee. All urgent cases will be handled by the County Executive Committee Member of Built Environment and Urban Planning, Hon. Patrick Mbogo, in accordance to the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, (No. 13 of 2019),” he directed.

The Governor also announced that Ibrahim Auma Nyangoya will serve as the acting County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning with immediate effect.

This as current officeholder, Charles Kerich, was sentenced to three months in prison for contempt of court orders arising from the county government’s failure to settle a Ksh.106.7 million payment to a law firm.