A four storey building collapsed at Ngoingwa estate Kwa Murram, in Thika town on the afternoon of Thursday, April 2.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, an area resident, Jeff Muturi who was present at the scene informed that there were no casualties as of the time of reporting.
"I heard a noise, that is when I went to the scene and found that the building had come crashing down. It appears weak materials might have been used in the construction of the building and thus overpowered by the weight of the structure," Muturi stated.
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He informed that the police or relevant authority was yet to respond to the scene with members of the public crowding the area to witness the incident.
Kenyans.co.ke learned that the contractors and a number of workers who were at the site fled immediately after the incident.
Another source informed that the owner of the building, a woman, had gone to Murang'a but was notified of the accident.
Muturi further revealed that while it went down, the building grazed a nearby house damaging a side of its rooftop, however, no major damage was recorded.
Over the recent past, there has been a series of buildings collapsing. While the reported building has no casualties, a number have claimed the lives of unsuspecting members of the public inhabiting the substandard structures.
In 2016, the National Construction Authority marked over 100 buildings in Thika town for demolition, in a bid to ensure developers meet the set standards for construction.
Then Thika region NCA officer Isaiah Achini had stated that the marked buildings were not approved by the authority and that the developers of the properties were not registered.
NCA requires that a construction site have a signboard with the listings of the main contractor, structural engineers, the architect, the plot number, and a clearance certificate from the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).
The agency states that if the given guidelines are followed, they will pursue the professionals undertaking the work in case a building collapses or develops any problem.
