Kenyan government report finds 57% of 21,282 inspected building sites non-compliant

Only 9,264 sites were rated structurally safe. Results swung widely by region. The former Western Province did best, with 1,183 of 1,520 sites compliant. In the Mount Kenya region 807 of 1,225 passed and work was suspended at 418. In Nairobi, 2,261 of 3,908 sites were fully compliant. North Eastern was worst: inspectors let work go on at 11 of 220 sites and stopped it at 209. In Upper Eastern, 53 of 355 passed.

The report blames design and site practice. It says some developers building on weak soil cut the amount and quality of concrete and reinforcing steel to save money. People with no license pass themselves off as architects or engineers and sell drawings that developers build from without checking them. Contractors ignore approved plans, hire unskilled labor, batch concrete in the wrong proportions and skimp on compaction and curing.

Enforcement is thin, according to the report. The National Construction Authority checks sites against a seven-point list that includes contractor registration, a compliance certificate, an approvals signboard, protective gear and accredited workers, and it must stop work where a site fails. The authority had 15 convictions by March 31, 2026, and few investigations reach prosecution. The report counts 100 building collapses since 1996, eight of them in 2026, the highest yearly total so far.

The report came out while crews were still clearing the Eastleigh building in Nairobi that collapsed while under construction on Oct. 23. On Oct. 30, eight days later, rescuers recovered a woman's body and 16 people were still unaccounted for, The Star reported. Kenya's Director of Public Prosecutions has ordered police to examine the role of county officials, the developer, contractors and other professionals in the collapse.