The dispute concerns a development next to Parkview Apartments in South C, Nairobi.
Justice Oscar Angote directs two county officials to appear for mitigation and sentencing after they failed to enforce orders stopping construction.
Two senior Nairobi County officials face sentencing for contempt over a disputed South C development next to Parkview Apartments. The Environment and Land Court found they failed to enforce orders stopping construction on the property.
The ruling concerns the County Secretary and the County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning. Justice Oscar Angote directed the current officeholders to appear for mitigation and sentencing on a date the court will set.
The judge found that both officials knew about orders issued on February 24 and March 10. However, they failed to ensure that work stopped.
Court halts South C development
Photographs and video recordings taken between February 25 and April 8, 2026, showed construction continuing despite the court orders. Justice Angote concluded that the petitioner had proved contempt to the required standard.
The court also barred the private company undertaking the development from carrying out further work pending determination of the petition. That restriction extends to the company’s agents, employees and contractors.
Separately, the judge directed Nairobi County Government to take immediate steps to stop construction and prevent further development. The ruling therefore requires action from the county alongside the restrictions on the developer, while the main petition awaits determination.
Resident challenges use of licensed land
The dispute stems from a Temporary Occupation Licence that the county issued to the company in November 2024. The licence allowed the company to operate a football pitch on the property.
However, an area resident accused the company of building commercial shops and a basketball court contrary to those conditions. The resident also alleged that the company placed a concrete slab over public sewer infrastructure.
In addition, the resident claimed the development lacked the required environmental and planning approvals. The court found that these allegations raised a genuine dispute for determination in the main petition. Meanwhile, its orders prohibit further construction as that case proceeds.
