NAIROBI, Kenya – A Nairobi court has ordered a plumbing company to pay Sh29.7 million in damages after faulty workmanship caused massive flooding at an elite residential property in Old Muthaiga, just a day before its official handover.
Justice Janet Mulwa ruled that the contractor was liable for professional negligence, following a suit filed by Devshibhai & Sons Limited, the main construction firm behind the luxury mansion.
The court heard that leaking roof tanks installed by the plumbing subcontractor caused extensive water damage throughout the double-storey property on March 9, 2015.
Devshibhai had subcontracted the plumbing firm to install drainage and water systems during construction.
Expert reports presented in court showed that the leaks resulted from substandard fittings and poor supervision, leading to a structural and aesthetic disaster that rendered the house temporarily uninhabitable.
“The evidence demonstrates clear negligence in the installation and testing of the water system. The damage was entirely preventable through professional diligence,” Justice Mulwa stated in her judgment.
Following the flooding, Occidental Insurance Company, which had insured the project, compensated Devshibhai for the loss.
The construction firm later pursued the plumbing company under subrogation rights, seeking recovery of the insurer’s payout.
In her ruling, Justice Mulwa emphasized the importance of professional accountability within Kenya’s construction sector, noting that the case serves as a reminder that “technical negligence in high-value projects carries significant legal and financial consequences.”
Legal analysts say the decision reinforces Kenya’s emerging jurisprudence on construction liability, where subcontractors can no longer evade responsibility once proven to have compromised project integrity.
With Muthaiga being one of Nairobi’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, the case has spotlighted the need for stricter quality assurance in luxury real estate projects, where reputational and financial stakes remain high.
