The National Environmental Authority(NEMA) has arrested the owner of a building under construction and the contractor working at the site in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa area for failing to acquire requisite approvals.
In a statement delivered on Wednesday, the authority confirmed the arrests of the contractor and a proprietor of the residential property along Timau road, off Argwings Kodhek Road.
The two were arrested for disobeying a lawful order stopping them from working on the premises without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
”NEMA has today arrested a contractor and proponent of a construction site along Timau Road, off Argwings Kodhek road for undertaking a project without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and disobeying a lawful order. The project is also out of character with the surroundings,” NEMA stated in a statement.
A section of a construction site whose contractor was arrested by NEMA on February 12, 2025, over safety and legal concerns.
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NEMA
The arrests followed complaints by area residents over the safety of the residential project.
On Tuesday, a team of inspectors from the authority visited the site and ordered a closure only for the contractor to ignore it and continue the work.
”The Authority’s environmental inspectors and police had inspected the site yesterday following complaints by residents and ordered the site to be closed but they continued today in defiance of the stop order leading to the arrest,” NEMA disclosed.
The arrests came against the backdrop of a recent court ruling made on Friday where the Environment and Land Court ruled that high-rise developments in Kileleshwa and its surrounding areas must adhere to a strict 16-floor limit.
Justice Oscar Angote overturned multiple approvals issued for taller structures by the Nairobi County government arguing that it had violated zoning regulations by allowing developers to exceed the height restrictions set in the 2021 Nairobi City Development Control Policy.
The case, filed by residents of Rhapta Road and Kileleshwa, argued that the Nairobi County government had failed to enforce urban planning policies, resulting in congestion and environmental degradation.
NEMA was also cited in the case for approving the developments but defended itself, stating that all applications underwent rigorous scrutiny, including public participation and environmental risk assessments.
In a separate incident, NEMA reported that its legal team and environmental inspectors had conducted an inspection along the Kigwe River in Marurui, Kasarani Sub-County, following complaints from residents about the encroachment of riparian areas. The authority is actively monitoring the issue as the matter awaits court determination.
NEMA offices in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Wkimedia Commons