Sakaja, Babu Owino in Explosive Exchange Over Collapsed Eastleigh Building and Ksh120 Million Bribe

A bitter war of words has erupted between Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino after the collapse of a 13-storey building in Nairobi’s bustling Eastleigh.

As rescue operations unfolded along Yusuf Haji Avenue on 9th Street, the tragedy quickly transformed into a high-stakes political showdown on social media.

Both leaders took to their official X (formerly Twitter) handles to trade explosive accusations regarding whether the ill-fated high-rise structure had ever received legal county approval before it gave way, trapping occupants and triggering widespread public fury.

In the wake of the disaster, Governor Johnson Sakaja vehemently defended his administration against allegations that the county greenlit the construction.

Taking to X, Sakaja dismissed documents circulating online as fraudulent and clarified the official timeline of interactions between county planners and the developer.

Sakaja stated on his official X handle: "I have seen some people peddling a fake approval document alleging that the Eastleigh development was approved. It is telling that this is the same document that the Eastleigh developer used to get NCA approval. They allege that the development was approved in January of 2024. This is not true.

The application for development as shown below was made in November of 2024, it could not have been approved in February of the same year. Also, there is a difference between a change of user approval and a development approval.

The developer applied for change of use from residential to residential & commercial in August of 2024. Change of user was approved in October of 2024. Development approval has never been granted. The developer went on to build with impunity and without building approvals despite enforcement action by the county and arrests."

According to the governor's breakdown, while a change of user status from purely residential to residential and commercial was processed later in the year, formal development permission was never authorised, maintaining that construction proceeded illegally despite previous county enforcement interventions.

The governor's defence was met with a scathing counter-attack from Embakasi East MP Babu Owino. Taking to his own X handle, the vocal legislator publicly accused Sakaja of dishonesty and claimed that official documentation proves the county administration greenlit the project months prior to the catastrophe. Furthermore, Owino levelled serious financial corruption allegations against the county boss.

Babu Owino fired back on X, stating: "Sakaja LIED to Kenyans that the building that collapsed in Eastleigh had NO APPROVAL yet He approved the construction. I have posted the approval that was done on 13th February, 2024. This is a big joke from the incompetent Sakaja. He must take responsibility for this tragedy after collecting a bribe of 120million."

The legislator's post amplified public outrage, demanding immediate accountability from the county government over lax oversight and alleged bribery networks within Nairobi's urban planning and zoning sectors.

The fiery public exchange highlights deep-seated anxieties regarding building safety standards, regulatory enforcement, and zoning compliance across Nairobi’s rapidly developing towns.

While emergency response teams, including the Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), and specialised security units, raced against the clock to manage surging crowds, clear gridlocked traffic, and search the rubble for trapped victims, the political class has become entangled in a blame game.

As investigations into the structural failure and regulatory compliance intensify, Kenyans await independent forensic audits to determine liability for a tragedy that has once again exposed vulnerabilities in Nairobi.