Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok has called on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to expedite the arrest and prosecution of Deputy Director of Planning Frederick Ochanda, who is responsible for development approvals within Nairobi County.
Addressing the media, Imwatok questioned the decision by the ODPP to exclude Ochanda from the latest list of suspects linked to the South C Manzil Towers collapse while including Nairobi County Chief Officer for Urban Planning Patrick Analo Akivaga among those facing charges.
“I am not a lawyer, but what I cannot understand is how the ODPP works. How can you charge everyone involved and omit the person at the center of the approval process? Ochanda is the one responsible for approvals, and that is how the approvals committee is structured,” said Imwatok.
The Majority Leader commended the government’s efforts to restore accountability and good governance but urged the ODPP to remain independent and resist any influence from political interests.
“I urge the ODPP, in the same breath, to charge Ochanda because he is the one in charge of approvals, not Analo and Acting Director Achar alone,” he added.
The charges stem from investigations into the approval, oversight, and regulatory processes surrounding the construction project before the building collapsed.
Among those approved for prosecution is Nairobi County Chief Officer for Urban Planning Patrick Analo Akivaga, who is set to face charges of abuse of office and neglect of official duty.
The charges come just days after Analo’s arrest by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in a separate corruption-related investigation.
