The National Construction Authority (NCA) on Tuesday, September 26, revealed details of the collapsed building in Mirema Drive, Nairobi County amid reports linking its ownership to an individual working for Governor Johnson Sakaja.
The 10-storey residential building collapsed on Sunday, September 25, while under construction.
For the better part of Monday, photos and videos showing the debris from the site surfaced triggering speculations on its ownership.
However- according to the NCA, the building’s developer is a man identified as Joseph Kambo Wakiri.
In a statement, the safety authority further revealed that preliminary assessment established that the building collapsed due to use of poor structural concrete.
As per NCA, Nairobi City County and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) cleared the construction.
However, further investigations were underway to reveal more details about the cause, according to NCA.
“Preliminary assessment of the failure points to use of poor structural concrete,” the statement read in part.
Further, the Authority divulged that the building’s contractor is a company named Wamie Construction Ltd, while its consultants were Lawrence Maina, and Anthony Macharia.
No casualties
According to the authorities, no casualties were reported from the collapsed building.
However, the collapse damaged part of the building adjacent to it and a vehicle parked in its vicinity.
Further, NCA noted that Kenya Power and Lighting Company’s infrastructure next to the building was damaged as well.
Also Read: 3 Nairobi County Officials Interdicted After Building Collapsed in Kasarani
According to the safety regulator, the building was planned to be a 12-storey residential building.
Despite the speculations mentioning the said aide, Sakaja was yet to issue a statement on the collapse.
The building adds to the growing list of buildings that have collapsed in Nairobi lately.
Also Read: Building Collapse In Kiambu Killing At least 2 People
Sakaja stance on rogue developers
Earlier in September, scores of residents in the neighboring Kasarani Constituency were forced to evacuate hurriedly after the building they were living in started sinking.
In November 2022, several construction workers were trapped under crumbles of a building in the Kasarani area.
At the time, Governor Sakaja and officials from NCA vowed to crack down on rogue developers flouting safety regulations in the county.
In his reaction, Sakaja termed such developers as “murderers” and called out corrupt county officials colluding with such persons during clearance.