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Nairobi County admits it approved building that collapsed in Uthiru

A search and rescue team at the site in Uthiru, Nairobi, where a five-floor apartment building collapsed on the night of May 7, 2024. (Photo: John Mbati)

By Lucy Mumbi | 08 May 2024

Concerns have been raised about whether the construction aligned with sanctioned plans and structural specifications.

Nairobi City County has admitted approving the construction of the five-story apartment building that collapsed in Uthiru, along Naivasha Road in Nairobi, on Tuesday night.

Concerns have been raised about whether the project aligned with sanctioned plans and structural specifications.

Bramwell Simiyu, the Nairobi City County chief officer of disaster management, said on Wednesday that an investigation had begun to ascertain whether the building owner followed due processes in the project.

“It was noted that the building had received approvals, but the director of planning stated that they would follow up to ensure the approved drawings and structure were adhered to,” Simiyu told a meeting of city officials.

He also reported that following the collapse, the owner of the building was to undertake the demolition of the structure, but it was later decided that the city would be responsible for this.

Simiyu added that the site and the structure have been declared unsafe, meaning nobody is allowed inside to retrieve property.

“Samples from the building will be collected after the complete demolition to ascertain the cause of the collapse, and will be taken to a laboratory for analysis,” he added.

The county also confirmed that all 34 tenants were accounted for.

On Tuesday night, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), in conjunction with the Disaster Response Brigade (KDF/DRB) unit, searched the debris with a human remains detection dog and confirmed that nobody was trapped underneath.

A tenant who spoke to The Eastleigh Voice on Tuesday revealed they had alerted the landlady of the cracks in the building as late as 5 pm. The building collapsed about three hours later.

In response to the concerns raised, the landlady sent a message to the tenants via WhatsApp, stating that the building was safe.

“Hi All. Engineer Chege has inspected the building and stated that the building is safe. Due to the heavy rainfall, backfilling soil has soaked through, thus causing the floor breakage. I am concerned for all of us and would not wish for anything wrong with our building. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any concerns,” read the message.

She sent another message, saying, “I’ve booked another engineer to give us a second opinion. He will be here at 8 am on Wednesday, May 8.”

The site has been handed over to technical personnel and engineers from Nairobi City County, the Nairobi Building Inspectorate (NBI), and the National Construction Authority (NCA) for further investigation and action.