Developers condemn reports that most city buildings are unsafe

Rescue operations are ongoing at the site of the collapsed building in South C, Nairobi on January 7, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] The Real Estate Stakeholders Association (RESA) has dismissed reports indicating that over 80 per cent of buildings in Nairobi are substandard. RESA Spokesperson Perminus Kariuki of Nyota Njema Real Estate led the association in opposing the report, saying it is misleading and unsubstantiated. They have also described the statement as alarming and could cause unnecessary panic to Kenyans. "While we acknowledge the need for continuous enforcement of building standards and the elimination of illegal developments, such a sweeping statement is misleading, alarmist, and unsupported by verified data," he explained. "It unfairly undermines public confidence in Nairobi's real estate sector and risks causing unnecessary panic among property owners, investors and tenants." They were responding to a report by the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK), which they released last week at the height of investigations into the collapse of a building in South C, which showed that only 15 per cent of buildings in Nairobi are considered safe, and just 80 per cent of construction projects countrywide involve professionals. According to IEK, inspections conducted by the National Building Inspectorate on about 15,000 buildings revealed that only 15 per cent were safe, while about eight per cent were rated as fair and capable environment. The professionals drawn from engineering, architecture, physical planning, valuation and construction management said the city is a ticking time bomb. But the RESA argued that architects are involved in approving buildings constructed by its members and had not raised compliance concerns during the approval stages. The association's chairman Dr Chrispus Wachira of Almond Properties, assured that RESA members would comply with all construction rules and regulations. According to Wachira, the association requires all members to display their compliance certificates as part of its internal regulations. He termed it unfair that the mistakes of a few have seen all the players in the industry blamed. "We came together as an association to self-regulate ourselves, and to end the blame that was placed on us, as investors. We therefore urge individual companies and stakeholders to be held to account for the substandard buildings, instead of having all of us blamed on behalf of a few who do not comply," he uttered. Similarly, Surveyor Kigathi Kionywe of Hotstep Holdings Ltd, who also chairs the association's lobbying committee, noted that RESA renews members' certificates annually and takes action against non-compliant firms. "We renew our members' certificates every year, and if, along the way, a company is found non-compliant, their certificates are not renewed, and we notify the public that they are no longer our members," he explained. Meanwhile, the association has distanced itself from allegations linking Kenya's real estate sector to money laundering, following the Minnesota money laundering saga. RESA Vice Chairperson Zuena Wambui said the matter is under investigation and supported the ongoing inquiries by both Kenyan and US authorities. "RESA and its members are not involved in any illicit financial activities. We do not condone money laundering or the use of real estate as a vehicle for illegal financial flows, and we encourage thorough, independent investigations by the Governments of Kenya and the United States," she said.

Developers condemn reports that most city buildings are unsafe

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