By Reporter
The Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing will carry out probe into the recurrent building collapses in Nairobi, amid concerns over widespread violations of construction standards, weak enforcement and possible professional negligence.
Committee Chairperson Hamida Kibwana said the inquiry would examine compliance with approved building plans, the quality of construction works, the role of regulatory agencies and gaps in the existing legal framework governing construction safety.
In a Statement on the floor of the House, Senator Kibwana cited several building collapses reported in Nairobi this year, including the latest incident along 9th Street in Eastleigh, where a multi-storey building under construction collapsed while ground-floor business premises were reportedly occupied by traders and members of the public.
She also cited the collapse of Manzil Towers in South C in January, where construction reportedly exceeded the approved 12 storeys by four additional floors.
Other incidents included the partial collapse of a 22-storey building under construction along School Lane in Westlands and the collapse of a building in Shauri Moyo’s Blue Estate in March during a demolition exercise linked to the Nairobi River Regeneration Project.
“These incidents raise concerns regarding compliance, structural safety and accountability,” Kibwana said.
She noted that the scale of non-compliance was reflected in the National Building Inspectorate’s 2025 audit of 396 developments across the country, which found that 87 per cent either failed to meet building standards or lacked the requisite approvals.
The audit also resulted in the emergency demolition of two buildings due to severe structural defects and documented six major building collapses in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisii in 2025, including two incidents in Parklands, Nairobi.
“The magnitude of these regulatory gaps is starkly illustrated by the 2025 National Building Inspectorate (NBI) audit of 396 developments nationwide,” she told the Senate.
Senator Kibwana warned that building collapses had devastating consequences, including loss of life, injuries, disabilities, destruction of livelihoods, psychological trauma and damage to neighbouring properties and public infrastructure.
“The collapse of any building comes with immeasurable losses to the country,” she said.
The Committee’s planned investigation also follows earlier engagements with the Nairobi City County Government over unregulated developments, encroachment on public spaces and obstruction of roads and drainage systems in residential estates.
Senator Kibwana recalled that the Committee conducted a site visit to parts of Eastleigh on September 29, 2026, before meeting Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on October 13 to discuss the concerns.
During the meeting, Governor Sakaja informed the Committee that the county government had forwarded more than 300 files involving developments suspected of non-compliance to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
The Committee will engage the ODPP to establish the status of the files, including whether they have resulted in charges, prosecutions or other enforcement action, and the reasons for any delays.
It will also examine possible professional negligence and the responsibilities of national and county government agencies in preventing unsafe construction.
According to Senator Kibwana, the persistent safety concerns is partly to rapid urbanisation and increasing demand for housing, which have placed pressure on planning and regulatory institutions.
She cited Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data indicating that 31.2 per cent of the country’s population lives in urban areas, with an urbanisation rate of 4.4 per cent.
She noted that construction regulation involved several institutions, including county governments, the National Construction Authority (NCA), the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and professional bodies responsible for regulating architects and engineers.
“The Senate must remain steadfast in protecting lives and property and ensuring accountability for unsafe construction,” Senator Kibwana said.
She assured the House that the Committee would table a comprehensive report detailing its findings, recommendations and proposed legislative interventions
