By Antynet Ford
Failure by Nairobi County to demarcate residential areas and business premises is to blame for the gas explosion that has so far claimed six lives in Embakasi. This is according to Azimio leader Raila Odinga who has also blamed Nairobi County Government for negligence after the February 1 explosion that shook the city.
The illegal gas plant explosion at Miradi area also left about 300 people injured and were treated in various city hospitals.
While speaking in Kisumu on February 5th, Raila blamed Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for failing to control mushrooming businesses in the city contrary to urban planning regulations.
Raila pointed out that” The city ignored its planning and allowed a gas filling plant that was not supposed to be there.” He challenged the county governors to be stick to urban planning rules and even demolish illegal structures in towns so as to attract investors.
“Investors cannot put their money where there is no order or law,” Raila added. The ODM leader also noted that Kenyans roads have been turned into deathtrap due to lack of proper planning. For some time now, a section of politicians in Nairobi have been claiming that Governor Sakaja and Raila are joined at the hip.
This has also been the assumption of those conversant with city politics since the Azimio which is the majority in Nairobi County Assembly. For this reason, some MCAs from the coalition have been supporting Sakaja who was elected on UDA ticket.
But the remarks by the ODM leader seems to have caught many by surprise who have been insinuating that it is through Raila that the governor has survived political turbulence in the city since the 2022 general elections. Since the gas plant explosion Governor Sakaja has not been seen in public even as his close aides give contradicting information over the whereabouts of the city boss.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has also accused Nairobi County Government of not fairly assisting victims of the gas plant explosion.
“We will not allow this to happen. Out of a budget of 245million per year for disaster management, the county government of Nairobi has offered 10k to only 25 victims at the social hall,” Owino posted after a long meeting with Nairobi County officials.
Pointing out in part, “The total number of victims are 300. Nairobi County Government should give at least 100K to each Victim to help them start life again since they lack Rent, Clothing, Food and children,”
