Govt Exposes Blunder That Triggered Collapse Of Nairobi Building At Night
The building was registered with the organisation and was intended to be a 12-storey residential building before its collapse.
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The National Construction Authority (NCA) has revealed that the developer of a 10-storey building under construction which collapsed in the Mirema estate in Nairobi County on Sunday night, September 24 had failed to adhere to guidelines regarding concrete used in the construction.
In a statement on Tuesday, September 26, NCA revealed that a preliminary assessment of the collapse pointed to poor structural concrete used in the construction.
The government organisation which regulates, streamlines and builds capacity in the construction industry had revealed this while noting that despite no casualties reported in the night collapse, the incident led to damage to infrastructure that included a neighbouring building.
"At approximately 11:00 pm on Sunday, 24th September 2023, a ten-storey residential building under construction collapsed. The building was located on Mirema Drive, Zimmerman Area, Roysambu Constituency, Nairobi County.
A collage of a collapsed building in Mirema on September 24, 2023. /SAFINA.TV47
"No casualties were reported. However, there was damage to an adjacent building, a vehicle as well as Kenya Power and Lighting Company infrastructure," NCA revealed.
It added that the building was registered with the organisation and was intended to be a 12-storey residential building before its collapse.
This was after the submission of the Nairobi City County approval and Environment Impact Assessment Licence from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
"The developer is Joseph Kambo Wakiri, while the consultants on record are Arch. Lawrence Maina Mwangi (A637), Eng. Anthony Macharia Gatune (A2619) and QS Joseph Karume Ireri (Q615). The contractor is Wamie Construction Limited," NCA further revealed.
A detailed investigation will be conducted in the coming days to determine the actual cause of the failure of the development.
NCA went on to caution that any person who will be found to have acted in contravention of the law and or/defied any lawful directions issued by a competent Authority will be subjected to the full force of the law.
On Sunday, reports had indicated that workers were working even at night when the building crumbled, though no one was hurt.
Residents flocked to the collapsed building to assist with rescue plans, forced to inhale choking dust from the debris.
The Mirema area and a majority of the Rorysambu and Zimmerman areas have been gaining popularity among young people, especially university students for cheap and affordable housing. Developers have therefore taken advantage of putting up highrise buildings to serve the rising demand.
Experts blamed authorities for sleeping on the job, with some developers taking advantage of to use of substandard materials.
"All cheap tall buildings will come tumbling down. Nairobi buildings nowadays lack access to light, parking, and playgrounds," a resident said at the scene.
On Monday, September 11, Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja, in response to the rising cases of building collapses, tasked the directorate in the construction sector to map out unsafe buildings, where residents will be evacuated before the flooding begins as a result of the El Nino rains.
“We will identify buildings that pose a flooding threat and we will act accordingly, without fear or favour," he affirmed.
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