Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration has been accused of enabling the development of unchecked multi-storeyed buildings.

Speaking yesterday, County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi accused the county of permitting the construction of high-rise buildings without proper oversight or compliance.

 The speaker blamed weak enforcement and laxity from the executive and the assembly.

 “The critical area of concern is physical planning and construction. We have allowed officials in the planning department to operate with minimal accountability. This negligence has led to blatant violations of the Physical Planning Act, resulting in substandard buildings and rogue developers prioritising profit over safety,” Ng’ondi said yesterday.

 He stressed that the law mandates public participation before approving development, yet this has been repeatedly ignored.  “This has been disregarded on numerous occasions, leading to high-rise buildings appearing in our wards—sometimes without the knowledge of the very members tasked with safeguarding them,” he said.

 “Illegal developments continue to emerge, endangering lives and worsening Nairobi’s urban chaos.”

 Ng’ondi urged sectoral committees to demand accountability from the executive, accusing many of neglecting their duties or relying on unverified information from county officials.

 “Many committees have abandoned this responsibility, opting instead for second-hand reports from officials. Even when inspections are conducted, their findings are either delayed or lack the necessary detail to hold errant officials to account,” he said.