Several Feared Trapped as Storey Building Collapses in Kiambu [VIDEO]

Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi leads rescue mission after a 7-storey building collapses in Kirigit, Kiambu county on September 26, 2022.
Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi leads rescue mission after a 7-storey building collapses in Kirigit, Kiambu county on September 26, 2022.
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Update: Police retrieved the bodies of a mother and her two children who died after a building in Kirigiti, Kiambu county collapsed onto adjacent residential houses.

According to police, the deceased were tenants in an adjacent apartment and succumbed to injuries while being rushed to Kiambu level 5 hospital. 

Currently, seven people have been rescued from the rubble. 

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Panic engulfed Kirigiti, Kiambu county after a storey building collapsed on Monday morning, September 26. 

Media reports indicated that several people were feared trapped under the rubble after the structure tumbled. 

In a video seen by Kenyans.co.ke, Kiambu governor, Kimani Wamatangi was among the first responders on site ensuring that the rescue operation is effectively coordinated. 

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The governor rallied the residents to aid in the operation to save those feared trapped. 

"Let us help each other. I urge those standing over there to come and help us to remove this rubble and save those trapped inside," the governor urged the residents. 

The incident adds to the list of collapsed buildings in Kiambu county alone. In August 2021, a five-storey residential building collapsed in Gachie, Kiambu County. 

Kiambu county police commander, Ali Nuno revealed that the structure was built up to the fifth floor. Labourers 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. 

Further, the government had recently set new standards in a bid to mitigate the rise in cases of collapsed buildings across the country. 

Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Managing Director, Bernard Njiraini, affirmed that some of the basic materials used in construction would be upgraded in quality. This includes structural steel, cement, and roofing tiles.

Njiraini also warned against the use of substandard materials, noting that it was a major cause of buildings collapsing in the country. 

"We have a very elaborate way of protecting consumers against any manufacturers who will be attempting to reduce the quality of materials they are manufacturing. 

"KEBS have a product certification scheme that requires manufacturers to establish quality control measures within their manufacturing establishment," he stated.

Housing Permanent Secretary, Charles Hinga also intimated that the rise in cases was attributed to the poor choice of location and inadequate research done on the land. 

"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."

"We are strengthening those institutions and we have created the National Building Inspectorate (NBI) that essentially brings everyone on board," Hinga stated. 

An image of Charles Hinga
Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga Mwaura appearing before the National Assembly Transport Committee.
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