Authorities have ordered the immediate evacuation of residents and businesses near an 11-story building under construction in Kona ya Kilifi, Mvita Sub-County, after it began showing alarming signs of structural failure.
On Wednesday evening, passersby witnessed the near-collapsing building showing signs of imminent collapse and promptly reported the matter to the authorities, following which emergency teams were mobilized and deployed to the area.
The building under construction at the finishing stage exhibits deep cracks on its columns. The first floor of the building has already collapsed, and from outside, it is leaning at an unnatural angle, waiting to give way anytime.
Emergency teams have cordoned off the area, heightened security, and businesses and residents living in adjacent buildings were evacuated as authorities finalized plans to demolish it.
“We were able to evacuate residents living in adjacent buildings within a 100-meter radius of the building. We thank the people for heeding our call,” said RC Rhoda Onyancha at the site.
She encouraged the residents to be patient as plans were afoot to demolish the building and clear the debris.
The locals were warned against rushing to the building to scavenge for metals and other properties but to instead keep off the area.
The Secretary, National Building Inspectorate, State Department for Public Works Architect Lawrence Gitau said they have done a brief reconnaissance tour of the site and have confirmed that the building is collapsing.
“We have seen the dangers that are posed by the building, which is in the process of collapsing. One floor has collapsed, which means the columns on the ground floor have failed, and the building has come down and is leaning to one side,” explained Arch. Gitau.
“It is continuing to pose a danger to the public, and it needs to be brought down. We have agreed with the developer,” he added.
He urged developers to consult Built Environment Professionals to design and supervise their buildings to avert losses of multi-million investments.
“The fee for this consultancy compared to the loss of investment as we see today is very minimal,” he stated, attributing the failure of the collapsing building columns to poor workmanship.
The building, Arch. Gitau said, has approvals from the County Government and the National Construction Authority for fewer floors than what has been built. Further scrutiny will be carried out to determine if other approvals were granted.
“We have seen that Kenyans are going to Architects and Engineers for drawings and stampings, and then they get approval from the county, but they have no intention of getting those consultants to supervise. These are the challenges that we have,” he said.
After the demolition, part of the materials will be taken to the laboratory to ascertain the cause of the collapse.
Developers were advised to stick to the floor approvals and to do soil testing. Arch Gitau said heads would roll to bring order to the building industry in the country.
Mombasa County Executive Committee Member for Land and Housing, Mohamed Hussein reiterated that public safety remains the top priority.
“We will conduct a full-scale investigation to determine the root cause of this collapse and ensure accountability,” he stated.
By Sadik Hassan
