The multi-storey building that collapsed in Eastleigh was built illegally. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja confirmed on Sunday, October 25 that it lacked proper physical planning permits. Sakaja said the developer used fake permits to get secondary approvals from the National Construction Authority (NCA) despite active enforcement notices at the time.

Refuting claims being shared on social media that the building received approvals from the city, he said:

“I’ve seen some people saying that there is a fake approval that they’ve got for Eastleigh, and interestingly the same one was used by the Eastleigh developer to get approval from the NCA. They’re saying that the building was approved in January 2024. That’s not true.”

City planners said whilst there might be a basic application for change of land use at the county levels, no official permits were issued for building and architectual development. The developer went ahead with the construction despite multiple enforcement notices from county officers.

The collapse has exposed major issues with inter-agency cooperation between county and national authorities. Normally builders must show proper planning permits from the city in order to get secondary approvals from the NCA. However, false permits were submitted to external bodies.

The governor also highlighted that there are issues with enforcing the city’s codes due to legal issues. Multi-agency investigations are taking place including referrals to the DCI to investigate any criminal activity.

Multi-agency rescue teams are currently on the ground using heavy county equipment to help with clearing the wreckage.

Investigations are taking place to find out who the structural engineers, contractors and project managers involved in the illegal site were. This is being done by checking professionals’ registers. Regulatory bodies are being called upon to act immediately on those found.