Illegal Developers have their Way as Sakaja seeks to Legalize unapproved Structures

Nairobi City County Govenor Johnson Sakaja has supported the draft Nairobi City County Regularization of Unauthorised Development Bill 2022 that seeks to regularize all buildings in the City that have been developed without approval.

A close MCA to the governor has revealed that the Bill which is drafted by Hon. Alvin Palapala has also been supported by Senior Officers in the County Goverment’s Built Environment and Urban Planning Sector who have previously worked in the Urban Planning Department for many years including during Lft. Gen. Badi’s era.

The MCA told the writer that Sakaja was convinced to support the Bill by his monied friends and supporters who have developed tens of high rise residential buildings without following the legal process especially in Lavington, Kilimani and Parklands areas and will lose billions of shillings after a number of cases have been filed in court praying for orders that the apartment buildings be demolished.

Sakaja justifies his position by arguing that developers have spent a lot of money in putting up the buildings and that ‘the physical, economic and environmental inconveniences caused to neighbors and the public are very minimal’.

Sakaja has directed Hon Palapala to move with speed and lodge the Bill before the County Assembly, saying that majority of MCAs have confirmed support for the Bill.

Most of the illegal developments in the high-end areas of Nairobi belong to the “wash-wash” class who sell or rent units to those living in the diaspora.

Several of these buildings are built in areas without adequate infrastructure including water and sewer lines and are known to contribute immensely in polluting and degrading the City’s environment especially its rivers and streams.