Govt Admits To Registering Collapsed Uthiru Building

The building collapsed on Tuesday evening at around 7:30 PM prompting the evacuation of 34 individuals.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
May 8, 2024 - 18:15
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Govt Admits To Registering Collapsed Uthiru Building
Five-storey building collapses in Uthiru on May 7, 2024. /STACY ODHIAMBO

The National Construction Authority (NCA) on Wednesday, May 8 confessed to issuing registration to the developers of the apartment building that collapsed in Uthiru, Nairobi on Tuesday, May 7.

In a statement, NCA revealed that the six-storey (ground plus 5) building project located along Naivasha Road, opposite the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Dagoretti South Sub County, Nairobi County was registered by the Authority in 2019.

"The developers on record are Peter Bernard Karanja and Victoria Karanja, while the consultants on record are Eng. Brian Abala (A3260) and Arch. James Simiyu (A413). The contractor is Mteja Agencies Limited. (32750/B/0917)," stated NCA in part.

Five-storey building collapses in Uthiru on May 7, 2024. /X

Furthermore, preliminary investigations into the collapse of the building revealed that the ground floor columns failed by buckling, which led to the ground floor (utilized as a parking) and the first floor being sandwiched by the upper floors, which were still intact.

A multi-agency team was deployed onsite to manage the situation and restore safety, as well as plan for the safe demolition of the remaining part of the structure.

"A detailed investigation will be conducted in the coming days to determine the actual cause of failure of the building. Additional updates will be issued in due course," added the statement.

The building collapsed on Tuesday evening at around 7:30 PM prompting the evacuation of 34 individuals.

Fortunately, no casualties were witnessed and all the tenants were accounted for as of Wednesday morning.

Earlier, a tenant of the premises reported noticing cracks in the building prior to the collapse and raising the issue with the landlady as late as 5 pm.

However, the landlady would respond with a message sent to the tenants' WhatsApp group with an assurance from the engineer that the building was safe. This was after he carried out inspections on the ill-fated building.

“Hi All. Engineer Chege has inspected the building and stated that the building is safe. Due to the heavy rainfall, backfilling soil has soaked through, thus causing the floor breakage. I am concerned for all of us and would not wish for anything wrong with our building. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any concerns," the message read in part.

The landlady would later reveal that she had secured the services of another engineer to verify the issues surrounding the building. The engineer was to arrive the following morning.

Scene following the collapse of an apartment building on May 7, 2024. /FACEBOOK

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