More than 109 days after a 14-storey building crumbled to the ground in South C, killing two people and shocking the nation, not a single person has been prosecuted.
Now, fed-up residents took to the streets on Monday over delayed justice on the matter.
The South C Residents Association held a protest, citing outrageous inaction by authorities in prosecuting those responsible for the January 2, 2026 building collapse along Muhoho Avenue, a disaster that many say was entirely preventable.
The building came down at around 4:05 a.m. near South C Shopping Centre and Nairobi South Hospital in what experts described as a “pancake collapse”, where floors fall onto each other, trapping victims and making rescue operations extremely difficult.
The first victim, Ali Adan Galgallo, 31, was retrieved on Sunday and laid to rest on Tuesday in accordance with Muslim customs, while the second body was recovered six days after rescue teams began operations.
What made the tragedy particularly infuriating was that authorities had seen it coming.
City Hall confirmed that the building had been subjected to enforcement action in May, July, and December 2025 over multiple infractions, yet construction continued unabated.
Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome revealed that although the developer had been licensed to construct the building, the project grossly violated approved plans.
The building had been approved for only 12 storeys, but developers illegally added four extra floors, pushing the structure to 16 storeys.
MCA for Kileleshwa Ward Robert Alai alleged the additional floors were added after a bribe of KSh 25 million was shared among Nairobi County officers within the Physical Planning department.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja admitted that counties are often left powerless after taking enforcement action, as cases against developers stall once they reach the prosecution stage, and called for county governments to be granted prosecutorial powers.
He pointed the finger squarely at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), accusing it of declining to press charges even after the county sought prosecution.
The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) added its voice, citing serious failures in approvals, professional supervision, and enforcement, and describing the collapse as an avoidable tragedy caused by persistent non-compliance in the development control process.
Lands CS Wahome vowed that accountability would extend to all professionals involved, including developers, contractors, and inspectors, insisting that the tragedy must serve as a warning against impunity in the construction sector.
Those were strong words, but so far, that is all they have been.
For the South C Residents Association, the silence from the prosecution machinery has become deafening.
With no arrests, no charges, and no court date in sight for the developer, Abyan Consulting Limited, or any county official allegedly involved in the illegal approvals, residents say they have been left with no option but to march.
They are demanding the immediate prosecution of the developer, the architect, structural engineer, and any county officials who approved the illegal extra floors, as well as accountability for the enforcement officers who repeatedly flagged the building but failed to stop construction.
The residents warn that the matter is not an isolated phenomenon but a symptom of broader regulatory failure, with many venues and construction sites continuing to operate with impunity due to weak oversight and corruption.
For South C residents, that impunity has already cost two lives, and they refuse to let it cost any more.
