Fatal Kasarani building collapse could have been avoided, fresh details reveal

City Hall and the NCA had warned the supervisor of the Kasarani building that collapsed yesterday about cracked walls, fresh details have revealed.

However, it all fell on deaf ears as the supervisor at the construction site ignored the warnings.

One person died after the 7-storey building collapsed at Seasons area in Kasarani, Nairobi on Tuesday.

According to a video by the Nation, construction workers who sought anonymity said that City Hall officers arrived at the site on Tuesday morning for inspection.

After the assessment, the officers advised workers to leave the site immediately.

However, it was reported that the supervisor ignored and told the workers to continue.

The same morning, officers from the National Construction Authority also wanted to stop the construction but they were chased away.

According to the video, eyewitnesses said there were visible cracks on the building.

Police said rescue operations are still ongoing. One person who was retrieved from the rubble was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Rescue workers camped on the site on Tuesday night as they tried to locate more victims. Excavators are being used to assist in moving heavy concrete

Poor workmanship and ignorance of the laws are among the leading causes of such incidences. This is according to a 2020 audit report by NCA on collapsed buildings. 

Research done by NCA in 2018, revealed that buildings collapsed due to technical issues such as substandard materials and lack of quality assurance.

Other factors include ignorance of laws and regulations, inadequate laws, poor coordination, lack of proper material testing tools and poor construction supervision, among others

This could indicate that there is a lot of impunity and corruption in the sector.

It could also explain why in scenes where buildings have collapsed, some officials go into hiding while some rush to the site and declare them unsafe.

Past incidents even beyond Nairobi, have revealed that a majority of such efforts are rarely prosecuted successfully.

NCA report 2020, shows that 10,791 of the buildings in the country are unsafe and either need reinforcment before occupation or be demolished.

This was after an assessment of 14,895 buildings.

NCA found that thousands of buildings in Nairobi exist without approval.

At least 1,217 buildings were found to be fair and only 2,194 were certified as safe. NCA said 723 buildings in the country had been marked as very dangerous.

The report stated that 87 buildings collapsed over the past five years while an estimated 200 people lost their lives with more than 1,000 injured.

Poor workmanship and ignorance of the laws are among the leading causes of such incidences. This is according to a 2020 audit report by NCA on collapsed buildings. 

Research done by NCA in 2018, revealed that buildings collapsed due to technical issues such as substandard materials and lack of quality assurance.

Other factors include ignorance of laws and regulations, inadequate laws, poor coordination, lack of proper material testing tools and poor construction supervision, among others

This could indicate that there is a lot of impunity and corruption in the sector.

It could also explain why in scenes where buildings have collapsed, some officials go into hiding while others rush to the site and declare them unsafe.

Past incidents even beyond Nairobi, have revealed that a majority of such efforts are rarely prosecuted successfully.

NCA report 2020, shows that 10,791 of the buildings in the country are unsafe and either need reinforcment before occupation or be demolished.

This was after an assessment of 14,895 buildings.

NCA found that thousands of buildings in Nairobi exist without approval.

At least 1,217 buildings were found to be fair and only 2,194 were certified as safe. NCA said 723 buildings in the country had been marked as very dangerous.

The report stated that 87 buildings collapsed over the past five years while an estimated 200 people lost their lives with more than 1,000 injured.