Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is not holding back. Speaking on the issue of illegal buildings spreading across the city, he says his administration wants to act but keeps running into walls, weak penalties, court challenges, and the loss of powers that once let local authorities enforce their own by-laws.
The frustration is real. Sakaja points out that prosecutorial powers that previously sat with county governments have since been stripped away, leaving his office with limited tools to go after developers who flout the rules. When fines are too low and legal battles drag on, the math too often works in the developer's favour.
For Nairobi residents living next to unvetted structures, this is more than a political back-and-forth. It is a question of whose job it is to keep buildings safe, and right now, no one seems to have a clear answer.
Originally published by AllAfrica.