The Nairobi Deputy Governor has confirmed that the seven-storey building that collapsed in Kahawa West, located in the Roysambu Constituency, was constructed without the necessary approval from the County Government.
Deputy Governor James Muchiri acknowledged that the county had been aware of the potential disaster looming over the structure.
“We knew this building had issues because our experts issued notices and warned residents,” Muchiri stated.
At the time of publication, no casualties had been reported, as a multi-agency team led by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion and the Kenya Red Cross continued its rescue mission.
“All the fundis working on the ground floor, along with a lady and child, have all been accounted for,” Muchiri said.
However, during his visit to the scene, the Deputy Governor indicated that one person involved in the evacuation might be trapped inside.
“As of now, we have no confirmed casualties, but there are allegations that one person may be inside with a child, and we want to confirm that. We are unsure, which is why we have mobilized all these teams,” he explained.
To assist in the rescue efforts, the KDF deployed sniffer dogs to check for any remaining occupants in the collapsed building amid reports of voices being heard at the site.
Deputy Governor Muchiri also confirmed that tenants in nearby buildings, which exhibited signs of structural failure, were also evacuated as a precaution.
Local residents managed to rescue one person from the rubble and transported him to the hospital before the official rescue team arrived.
“His legs were badly injured, and since he could not speak due to his disability, he raised a piece of cloth, allowing us to see him from a distance,” one resident recounted.
In a statement, the National Construction Authority (NCA) disclosed that the building’s owner had been given 14 days last week to provide a structural integrity report.
“The Multi-Sectoral Agency Consultative Committee condemned the building on Wednesday and issued an enforcement order for immediate evacuation,” said NCA Director Maurice Akech.
Residents criticized the county government for allowing the developer to endanger lives by attempting to repair visible cracks in the structure.
“The cracks were obvious, and even after the county issued a notice, the developer began renovations from the ground floor instead of evacuating people,” stated Christopher Tenka, a witness who observed the building collapse.
Tenka reported that a significant crack appeared about an hour before the collapse, causing tiles to fall as the building shook. He noted that the contractor and at least ten workers were trying to fix the cracks at that time.
County Chief Officer for Disaster Management Bramwell Simiyu announced that they will investigate why the owner of the building was allowed to reinforce the illegal structure.
