An ongoing inspection of buildings across the country by the National Building Inspectorate (NBI) has found 919 buildings to be unsafe for occupation.
The NBI Secretary, Samuel Charagu, revealed that the mandate of the Inspectorate is to inspect all the buildings in the country, especially those that are occupied, to check for safety, and out of the 19605 buildings inspected so far in 26 counties, 919 were found to be unsafe.
“We have been going around the country, and so far we have been to 26 counties to check the structural integrity of buildings,” Charagu said.
He stated that they had already inspected several buildings across the country, of which about 5 percent were found to be dangerous, and he noted that there were many others that were found to be unsafe but could be repaired.
He said that as building inspectors, they come in to inspect buildings after they have been occupied.
According to Charagu, the NBI works closely with the local administration and the police to evacuate people already occupying such buildings, a move he says has saved lives as some buildings have collapsed just days after residents were evacuated.
“Once we find a building that is dangerous, we alert the police and the National Disaster Management Unit to have the occupants removed; we have done that in Ruiru and Mombasa recently,” he said.
Affirming the need for better legislation and regulation in the construction industry, State Department for Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang said that as a state department they were keen on regulations and they have engaged with the building code, which is part of the strategy to address this issue and is currently before the Senate.
He said that the department also wants to engage the national assembly to be able to address these issues facing the construction sector, adding that there is the building control bill, which is also dealing with addressing the gaps in the building sector.
The two were speaking at the site of a building that collapsed in Murang’a town on June 19, 2023, killing five people.
By Purity Mugo
