The founder of Slums Outreach Programme (SOP), Eric A. Ambuche, has raised alarm over what he describes as deep-rooted corruption, land grabbing and misuse of public funds in Embakasi South, warning that weak oversight and inaction by authorities are leaving residents exposed and key services at risk.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation on Friday, Ambuche outlined the work of his organisation, saying it focuses on improving lives in informal settlements through education, climate action and tackling drug abuse.
“Our main or key pillars are about education, climate action and mitigation on drugs in the slums,” he said.
He explained that his team has been actively engaging communities and taking part in civic processes, including organising forums to ensure leaders respond to the needs of residents. According to him, these efforts are driven by a belief that communities best understand their own challenges.
“We realized that most candidates come up with manifestos and hand over to the electorate, and we thought that we understood the problems more than any other person,” he said.
Ambuche, however, expressed concern that many voters lack access to accurate information, which affects decision-making during elections.
“Most voters are misinformed or ill informed. They lack proper information,” he said.
He also criticised the area’s leadership, claiming there is little connection with local issues.
“Most of the time he spends in America. So we are always on autopilot,” he said.
A major part of his claims focused on alleged misuse of funds under the National Government Constituencies Development Fund, where he said large amounts meant for bursaries have been lost over time.
“Almost 91 million has been lost,” he said.
He questioned the effectiveness of oversight systems, arguing that existing structures do not provide real accountability.
“Those are just what we call a dressing up exercise. The Member of Parliament is everything,” he said, adding that contracts are often awarded to individuals linked to political leaders.
Ambuche said attempts to seek action from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission have not been successful, despite submitting detailed complaints.
“Do you know the file got lost within MPs office? As I sit here today, nothing has happened,” SOP Founder said.
He also described what he termed resistance from investigators during follow-ups.
“The guy was very emotive, he wanted even to flush us out.” He said, affirming how investigative agencies become rogue sometimes when handling their duty.
Beyond financial issues, Ambuche raised concerns about what he called widespread land grabbing in the area, affecting land meant for public use.
“There is a community market that was grabbed,” he said.
He noted that although there had been a decision to return the land to the community, this has not been implemented.
“We got a letter of determination that it should be reverted back, but it has not been realized,” he said.
He further claimed that other public spaces, including administrative offices and police facilities, have also been targeted, placing Embakasi South at the centre of such disputes.
“Embakasi South is the one leading as far as land grabbing is concerned,” he said.
According to Ambuche, land set aside for important services like schools, playgrounds and fire stations is under threat.
“They know these are social amenities, and so they’ve targeted them,” he said.
He also highlighted poor infrastructure, pointing to bad road conditions, and raised environmental concerns about construction on riparian land.
“There’s a building with a stream flowing under it,” he said.
Despite submitting reports to different institutions, including the County government of Nairobi, Ambuche said there has been little response or action.
“We gave a very detailed report to the County government of Nairobi but nothing has happened,” he said.
His claims bring into focus wider concerns about governance, service delivery and accountability in parts of Nairobi, especially in informal settlements where residents often struggle to access basic services.
