South C building collapse case lifts lid on Nairobi's construction approval system

• Members of a multi-agency rescue team, including the military, police and county emergency services, gather at the site of a 16-storey building under construction that collapsed, as search and rescue operations begin with possible casualties still unconfirmed, in the South C neighbourhood of Nairobi, on January 2, 2026. [AFP]

A legal battle exposing how Nairobi County approves buildings has begun after the High Court halted the prosecution of 18 planning officers who claim they were unfairly singled out over the collapse of Manzil Towers in South C.

The prosecution of the officers, led by suspended Urban Planning chief Patrick Analo and Wilfred Wanyonyi Masinde, has evolved into a wider legal battle that is now shining the spotlight on how construction approvals are processed within the county government.