Motorists navigate a flooded section of Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi on Friday March 20, 2026, as rains began across the country.
Whenever I see bulldozers out on the streets, I know the Nairobi County Government is about to deflect blame. This is not the first time that City Hall is blaming businesses and ordinary people for its own failings. Last week, the county tore down buildings that were allegedly built along riparian land. They have been blamed for causing massive flooding in the capital following heavy rains.
There has been an outcry about the lack of a stormwater system to safely direct the rainwater towards reservoirs to be stored for use by residents. The county has never had a masterplan for reservoirs to address water shortage in the capital, and hence a lot of rainwater gets wasted. It has neither had a masterplan to address sewage problems to safely drain rainwater away from people’s homes and businesses. The moment the county administration is criticised, officials turn their wrath on the people.
Nairobi could not have illegal structures anywhere, including on riparian land, without a corrupt official being behind it. Those culpable for the mess are within the county offices, not on the riparian land. Bulldozing illegal structures won’t end the problem of poorly planned buildings or sub-standard ones that have been collapsing by large numbers in Nairobi and burying people alive.
Corrupt county officials
I must say the people who were given a go-ahead to build structures along the river by county officials are innocent. They should ask for their money back. If a county official has cleared a plan for apartments to be put up willy-nilly or businesses to be built on riparian land, City Hall cannot claim innocence. Hence, culpability lies with the county office for misrepresentation.
In this regard, those who were deliberately misled by corrupt county officials deserve a refund for every penny they spent on their businesses — whether they are on riparian land or not — as long as this was actioned fraudulently by county officials. We need to stop passing the buck, yet it is clear that some officials are responsible for the illegal structures and buildings that collapse.
It appears as if the collapsing of buildings, especially tall, weak apartments, has become normalised. After a building collapses, life goes on as if there was no crime committed or those who were buried alive did not deserve justice.
Corruption was always going to have grave consequences, such as people dying in a collapsed building. When the agencies that are supposed to fight graft look the other way, people are losing their lives, and no one is being held accountable. Governors pass the blame to their juniors, yet the buck stops at their doorstep.
Every employee in a county government is under the governor, from the cleaners, county askaris to licensing officials. If any of these departments cause harm to Kenyans, then the governor cannot escape blame.
I know readers will say that members of the public are the first ones to give bribes to get ahead, but I disagree with that. If a bribe played a part in giving a business or individual an advantage, and negligence or crime occurs as a result of that illegal exchange, the fault should lie with the officials who accepted the kickback. The officials are the ones who allow illegal structures to be built, as well as construction on riparian land.
Officials in the counties are employed to follow the law. They have the responsibility to guide the public appropriately to avoid the deaths that are happening in the city due to collapsed buildings. The fact that the problem of buildings collapsing in Nairobi is persistent means that it is only fair to say that the county officials are not addressing corruption. It appears as if it has become the county’s modus operandi. It is time to act and protect lives.
Illegal” buildings
The county cannot go on like this. Let those who are sleeping on the job be held accountable. Corruption must be dealt with decisively to save the image of the capital city. Without addressing the problem of corruption in county offices, we can’t have a city that functions efficiently. And dangers will always be lurking for city residents because we have many dangerous “illegal” buildings around us.
Turning to bulldozers to pull down the buildings when a tragedy occurs is not going to end the rot that led to the mess in the city in the first place. Corruption that led to lack of sewer lines, poorly built structures and construction of buildings on riparian land will not be addressed by unleashing terror on the very people that have been scammed in the first place. It is the deep-seated incompetence and corruption that need to be tackled first. Otherwise, we will continue burying people during every flooding season, and more will be buried beneath the rubble of poorly constructed buildings.
Nairobi County officials can turn their misplaced anger on the residents, but they are not to blame. The rot is within the walls of the county offices!
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Ms Guyo is a legal researcher, [email protected], @kdiguyo
