A Nairobi court has issued a warrant of arrest for a Nairobi County official accused of failing to prevent the construction of a building that later collapsed in South C, after he failed to appear in court.
John Gombe Osike, an employee of the Nairobi City County Government, is among several people facing charges linked to the collapse of Mamzil Towers. Prosecutors allege that he neglected his duty to halt construction despite being aware that the project did not comply with the required standards.
When the case came up for mention on Monday, the prosecution asked the court to issue warrants of arrest for the fifth to the tenth accused persons, arguing that they had ignored previous court summons.
“We are making an application for warrants of arrest against the 5th to the 10th accused persons,” prosecutor Nora Otieno told the court. “There was no reason given for their failure to attend court despite receiving the summons. No medical documents have been produced before this court, and we therefore pray that warrants of arrest be issued.”
The defence opposed the application, saying two of the accused had genuine reasons for missing the court session.
Defence lawyer Danstan Omari told the court that Patrick Analo, the fifth accused, was unwell and that medical records would be presented once they were available. He also said the sixth accused, Frederick Ondari, had traveled upcountry to attend a funeral.
“The 5th accused is unwell and we will produce the medical documents. The 6th accused traveled upcountry for a funeral,” Omari said. “We undertake to produce both accused persons on the next mention date.”
Omari added that Analo had already collected the court summons from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), arguing that there had been no intention to evade the proceedings.
After hearing both sides, the court issued a warrant of arrest against John Gombe Osike over his failure to attend court. It declined to issue warrants for the other absent accused persons, instead directing that fresh summons be served requiring them to appear at the next court mention.
The case will return to court on July 27, when the accused persons are expected to answer to the charges.
The prosecution alleges that county officials failed to enforce building regulations, allowing construction to continue despite concerns over compliance. The accused have not been convicted, and the case remains before the court.
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