Eastleigh Building Collapse: Babu Owino Dares Sakaja to Take Him to Court
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja faces mounting scrutiny over the Nairobi County Government’s enforcement of construction rules, following a sharp response from Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to a defamation demand letter over the recent Eastleigh building collapse.
Owino, through advocate Collins Mango, officially refused to retract his social media posts or issue an apology to Governor Sakaja and architect Okeya Hempstone Nyawanda. The refusal comes after Nyawanda’s legal team, Oyugi Ochieng & Associates Advocates, issued a six-hour ultimatum on October 26, 2026, threatening legal action if the posts were not pulled down.
The dispute stems from a document shared online by Owino, which purports to show Nairobi City County approval for development on land parcel LR/Parcel No. 36/11/40 in Eastleigh, where a multi-storey building collapsed on October 23. Lawyer Elisha Gweth Onyango, representing the developer and architect, argued that the document falsely identified Nyawanda as a registered physical planner rather than an architect, damaging his professional standing.
Owino’s legal team dismissed the defamation claims, maintaining that the public interest and the loss of lives in the tragedy demanded strict public scrutiny rather than silence. His lawyers pointed out that an architect’s professional title does not resolve lingering questions regarding the legitimacy of the approval document or the county’s oversight.
In their formal response, Owino’s lawyers also highlighted a blunder in the demand letter, which addressed the male MP as “Madam.” They questioned whether the tight six-hour ultimatum was prepared with the same lack of care as the salutation.
The legal clash highlights growing confusion and conflicting statements regarding the regulatory approval status of the collapsed structure. Governor Sakaja maintained that while county authorities approved a change of use for the property in October 2024, they never approved plans for high-rise construction. Owino countered this defense by pointing to a document dated February 13, 2024.
Adding to the administration’s troubles, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) revealed that Nairobi County had not submitted an inquiry file on the collapse, despite city officials claiming they had led arrests prior to the structural failure. Consequently, the ODPP instructed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate potential criminal negligence among developers, contractors, and county officials.
To demonstrate a broader pattern of regulatory failure under the current county leadership, Owino’s response included an annexure detailing multiple building collapses across Nairobi during Sakaja’s tenure between 2022 and October 2026.
The list includes the November 2022 collapses of three buildings in Kasarani and Eastleigh within a single week, as well as the January 1, 2026 collapse of a 16-storey residential building in South C linked to unauthorized additional floors. It further detailed collapses along Ngong View Lane in Karen on January 10, 2026, a Westlands site in March 2026, another Nairobi incident on March 16 and 17, 2026, an October 17 collapse near OTC in the central business district, and an October 2026 collapse in Highrise, Kibera.
Owino declared that he will continue to demand answers from City Hall regarding development approvals and safety enforcement, emphasizing that legal threats will not halt public accountability.
