This archive report was first published on 23 October 2019.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has launched a scathing attack on the Kenya Institute of Planners (KIP), accusing its members of causing more deaths than terrorists in the city.
According to Sonko, between June 2014 and September 30, 2019, a total of 110 Kenyans lost their lives and scores were injured in 11 tragedies involving collapsed buildings in Nairobi.
He pointed out that this number is higher than the 21 deaths caused by terrorist attacks in the capital city during the same period.
Sonko blamed the KIP members for issuing approvals for substandard buildings and structures, which he said led to the tragedies.
The governor also accused suspended Urban Planning chief officer Justus Kathenge, a member of KIP, of negligence and failure to enforce compliance, citing a 2017 report by the Ombudsman that implicated Kathenge in the Huruma tragedy where 52 people died.
On September 30, KIP chairman Dr Lawrence Esho had petitioned the county government, citing undue political pressure and frequent interference with the electronic platform used to process development applications as the cause of the delays.
However, Sonko countered that the suspended officers play no role in development control and that he will not relent in his efforts to clean up the mess at the department and restore sanity in the building sector in Nairobi.
