For a tenant paying rent, a shopkeeper running a business or an investor putting millions of shillings into an apartment block, one of a building’s most important features may be difficult to see — whether it has been properly inspected and cleared for occupation.
Emergency personnel work at the site of a building that collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi on October 23, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
That distinction came into sharp focus in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on October 23, when a multi-storey building under construction collapsed along 9th Street.the building did not have an occupation certificate , raising questions about how people had been allowed to occupy premises in a structure still under construction.
Governor Johnson Sakaja interacts with a youth during his tour at the scene of the collapsed building in Eastleigh.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
One central issue in Eastleigh is the difference between permission to develop a property and permission to occupy it.
Michael Ochieng of Engineering Consult says: “Structural safety starts with a design that accounts for the loads a building is expected to carry.”
For investors, overlooking approvals can create costs well beyond repairs.
Responsibility for a building’s safety is shared, but the roles are not identical.
A partial occupation certificate can be issued where phased occupation was properly planned during design and adequate safeguards are in place.
Ndege says the public needs accessible information about what to look for when choosing places to live, work and play.
