Sakaja Accuses Babu Owino of Sharing Fake Document as Details Emerge on Eastleigh Building Collapse

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has dismissed a document shared by Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino over the collapsed Eastleigh building, insisting that the developer never received approval to construct the high-rise structure despite obtaining permission to change the property’s use.

Sakaja’s response follows accusations by Owino, who published a Nairobi City County document dated February 13, 2024, which he argued showed that the proposed development along 9th Street in Eastleigh had been approved.

The MP accused the governor of misleading Kenyans and demanded that he take responsibility for the tragedy.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Sakaja challenged the document’s authenticity and questioned the timeline presented by those using it to defend the developer, arguing that approval for a change of use was different from permission to undertake construction.

“I have seen some people peddling a fake approval document alleging that the Eastleigh development was approved. It is telling that this is the same document that the Eastleigh developer used to get NCA approval. They allege that the development was approved in January of 2024. This is not true,” Sakaja stated.

The governor maintained that the dates on the developer’s applications contradicted the claim that the construction had been approved in February 2024.

He said the application for development approval was submitted in November 2024, several months after the date appearing on the document shared by Owino.

“The application for development as shown below was made in November of 2024, it could not have been approved in February of the same year. Also, there is a difference between a change of user approval and a development approval,” he added.

Sakaja explained that the developer had applied in August 2024 to change the property’s use from residential to residential and commercial, with the county approving that application in October of the same year.

“The developer applied for change of use from residential to residential and commercial in August of 2024. Change of user was approved in October of 2024. Development approval has never been granted,” he said.

The governor further alleged that the developer continued building despite enforcement action and arrests by county officials.

He said the suspects were most recently arrested in July but released on a KSh50,000 bond the same day.

Sakaja also criticised what he described as inadequate penalties for illegal developments, arguing that developers undertaking projects worth hundreds of millions of shillings should face stronger consequences when they violate regulations.

“Fining a developer 50k for an illegal development with hundreds of millions without orders to stop and remove the offensive development is completely unreasonable,” he stated.

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