Babu Owino and Johnson Sakaja dispute county approvals for the collapsed Eastleigh building.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino challenges Sakaja to pursue legal action as they dispute approvals for the collapsed building.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has refused to apologise to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over the Eastleigh building collapse. Instead, he challenged the governor to take him to court over claims linking City Hall to the development.
In a statement on Monday, Owino said affected families deserved answers about the disaster. He also accused the governor of trying to silence demands for accountability while rescuers searched for missing people.
Legal threat over Eastleigh building collapse claims
The refusal followed a six-hour ultimatum that Sakaja’s lawyers issued on Sunday. They demanded that Owino remove social media posts linking the governor to the building’s approval or face legal action.
The lawyers described the posts as misleading and potentially damaging to Sakaja’s reputation. However, Owino maintained that he would not withdraw his criticism, citing the suffering of affected families.
The dispute centres on whether the multi-storey building along Eastleigh’s 9th Street had the necessary county approvals. The structure collapsed on Friday, prompting a multi-agency rescue operation.
County approval documents at centre of dispute
Owino published a document that he said showed county approval for the proposed development on February 13, 2024. He consequently accused Sakaja of misleading the public by saying the building lacked approval.
The MP also alleged that a Sh120 million bribe secured the development approval. That allegation has not been independently established.
Sakaja, however, disputed Owino’s interpretation of the document, distinguishing permission to change land use from approval to build. He said the county approved a change from residential to mixed residential and commercial use in October 2024.
The governor maintained that the county did not approve the subsequent architectural plans for the proposed high-rise. He also said county officials took enforcement action against the development, leaving questions about how construction continued.
Rescue efforts and questions over enforcement
Meanwhile, emergency teams continued searching for people feared trapped beneath the rubble. By Sunday, rescuers had pulled four people out alive.
The Kenya Red Cross had also received reports of 47 missing people, although verification of those figures remained underway. The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of construction approvals, inspections and enforcement in Nairobi.
On Monday, Sakaja separately questioned the release of suspects arrested over alleged county planning violations. He said some reportedly secured release on Sh50,000 cash bail without appearing in court.
The governor called on police to explain their release, adding another enforcement concern to the dispute.
