 |
| Embakasi East MP Babu Owino during a past Parliamentary committee session. PHOTO | COURTESY. |
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has called for a full, independent investigation and sweeping reforms following the collapse of a 16-storey building under construction in South C, Nairobi County.
In a statement issued after the incident, Owino said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the collapse, which has left families in distress and emergency teams racing to rescue possible survivors.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the collapse of the 16-storey building under construction in South C, Nairobi County, an incident that has left families in anguish and emergency teams scrambling for survivors,” the MP said.
Owino described the collapse as a stark reminder of systemic weaknesses in Nairobi’s construction oversight. “This tragedy, coming just days into the new year, is a painful reminder of the cost of weak oversight, poor enforcement, and suspected corruption in Nairobi City County,” he said.
The legislator also raised concerns over reports that the building may have exceeded its approved height, alleging that bribes may have facilitated unauthorized additional floors. “We note with grave concern reports suggesting that this structure was originally approved for fewer floors, and that unauthorised additional floors were added, allegedly facilitated through bribes to the Governor and other Nairobi City County officials,” Owino stated.
He warned that such practices indicate “institutional corruption, where life-safety standards are sacrificed for profit and political convenience,” and condemned what he called a culture of impunity within the construction sector.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any corruption or bribery that undermines building safety and public trust; approvals granted without full compliance with technical and legal requirements; a culture of impunity where county officials, developers, and professionals escape accountability,” Owino said.
The MP called for immediate action from authorities, demanding “a full, transparent, independent investigation into the collapse, including all approvals and inspections carried out at county and national levels.” He further urged “the immediate suspension of approvals for undocumented or suspicious developments until national safety audits and compliance checks are completed,” and called for “accountability and prosecution of all those found to have enabled unsafe construction, whether public officials, private developers, or professionals in the built environment.”
Owino also emphasized the need for Nairobi City County to strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure that safety standards are applied uniformly across all projects.
“Lives cannot be rebuilt. But systems can. Let this disaster spur the reforms Nairobi has long needed, so that we never again mourn deaths that could have been prevented,” he concluded.
