Kisii: The National Construction Authority (NCA) has revealed that the construction of the proposed four-storey building which collapsed in Kisii County had previously been halted. Five people lost their lives Sunday, while four others were hospitalized after being rescued by the emergency response team following the incident.
According to Kenya News Agency, in a press statement sent to newsrooms, NCA's Registrar of Contractors Engineer Maurice Akech said the works were not registered with the Authority and, as such, there were no contractor or consultant details on record. "The Authority's Nyanza South quality assurance team had suspended construction works on the site due to non-compliance via suspension order 117181 issued on 3rd September 2024, but the developer resumed work before obtaining the necessary clearance from the Authority," said Eng. Akech.
The Engineer noted the site had been secured and cordoned off by officers from the Kisii County Government, the National Police Service, and the National Construction Authority. He pointed out that preliminary reports based on initial visual observation pointed to overall poor workmanship leading to structural failure. "The developer had moved heavy construction materials to the upper floors, which may have resulted in the overloading of the four-storey structure and accelerated the collapse," added Akech.
The Engineer said a detailed investigation would be conducted in the coming days to determine the actual cause of failure for the development. In addition, he decried the increasing number of such incidents in the country saying that this was the third incident within a week. "On April 3rd, a proposed development on Plot No. Mombasa/Block XLVI/195 in Bondeni Area of Mombasa County was reported to be tilting and sinking, with the probable cause being extra weight from the unauthorized construction of an additional four floors, leading to overload and subsequent column failure," said Akech.
Similarly, the Engineer noted that on April 2nd, a proposed residential development located in Kisii South Sub-County, Kisii County, had collapsed. He pointed out that construction works on site had previously been suspended by the Authority on 17th November 2021 via order number C047454 and at the time of suspension, the project was not registered with the Authority. The Engineer noted that both buildings had been cordoned off and no casualties were reported in either incident.
Eng. Akech cautioned all developers, contractors, and other industry professionals saying that any person found to have acted negligently, or defied any lawful directions issued by the Authority, will face the full force of the law.