Residents of Kiambu awoke to the shocking news of a collapsed building in the Kirigiti area this Monday morning, September 26.
The building is said to have collapsed in the early dawn and it’s believed there were some who remain trapped within it prompting the need for support in finding those trapped within.
Among those on the spot to assist the trapped was Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, who urged citizens to assist in helping some of the victims who were stuck in the debris.
“Let us help each other. I urge those standing over there to come and help us remove this rubble and save those trapped inside,” the governor said in one of the videos that captured rescue efforts underway.
According to the Kiambu County Police Commander, Ali Nuno, the structure was built up to the fifth floor. The collapse occurred midway during work by the labourers.
“Laborers were busy with construction activities on the sixth floor when the building suddenly collapsed and caved in. He affirmed that no deaths were reported during the incident,” he said.
Collapsing of buildings is not entirely a new issue in Kiambu as last year residents witnessed the collapse of a five-story residential building collapse in Gachie.
This comes at a time when the government set up new construction standards in relation to mitigating the rise in buildings collapsing across the country.
Housing Permanent Secretary, Charles Hinga, in response to the matter at hand pointed out the poor choice of building terrains and locations as a major cause for the probable rise in collapsing buildings.
He added that there is a need for researching the place adequately since some of these lands are not safe for huge buildings if well analyzed.
“The collapse of buildings is not just poor quality. If you go and build on mushy land or riparian land which is meant for drainage, we do have a challenge if someone is approved,” he lamented.
