This archive report was first published on 24 September 2019.
On Monday morning, a classroom at Precious Talent School on Ngong Road in Nairobi caved in, killing seven pupils and injuring 57 others.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has blamed the collapse on rogue county officials, accusing them of issuing building permits illegally.
According to Governor Sonko, the officials would collude with developers to put up buildings illegally, and would sometimes switch off the digital system installed at City Hall to bypass the official channel in issuing building approvals.
"Following numerous complaints from land owners, property developers and the general public against the Nairobi City County Planning Department, I commissioned a comprehensive systems audit that exposed the activities of rogue officers within my administration," Mr Sonko said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
He also claimed that the officers would sometimes lie to him about the system being switched off, as was the case when the County Chief Officer for Planning Justus Kathenge was suspended in August 2019.
Mr Sonko, however, was quick to point out that he had inherited the committee from the previous regime, run by former county chief Evans Kidero.
"It is also important to note that the inspection and approval of primary and secondary schools falls under the Ministry of Education," Mr Sonko said.
He promised to personally support parents who lost their children and those whose children were injured, and to facilitate the rebuilding of the classroom.
