Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi narrated how he put his life at risk to save a baby who was buried by the debris of a collapsed building on Monday, September 26.
Speaking on Thursday, September 29, Wamatangi detailed that he was among the first people who responded to a distress call after a five-storey building collapsed in the Kirigiti area in Kiambu county.
With no safety gear, Wamatangi was moved by screams from people who had been trapped, prompting him to act.
The former Kiambu Senator dug through the debris where he found a mother and his two kids trapped. He recounted how he personally removed one of the boys who had been buried and rushed him to an ambulance.
Wamatangi with the help of residents and the National Youth Service, who arrived at the scene of the accident later, managed to rescue nine more people who had been trapped.
"We managed to rescue nine people. Only two people had passed on by the time we rescued them. Unfortunately, we lost three, a mother and her two children when they went to the hospital," he stated
"I am the one who dug out one of the boys and I got him out when he was still alive. I can't describe how I feel having taken that boy out and run with him to the ambulance only to be told that when he got the hospital he passed away," Wamatangi added.
The first-time governor further disclosed that President William Ruto intervened by ordering deployment of emergency services.
While responding to rising cases of buildings collapsing in the county, he noted that his government would act to ensure developers comply with building codes and follow the rules for construction.
"Seven buildings have collapsed in less than four months. We are going to be very strict as much as we encourage investors and developers to pick the county," Wamatangi maintained.
He further pledged to establish a disaster response team to promptly and effectively respond to calamities in the county.
This is the latest incident to happen in Kiambu, which is blamed on lack of supervision and illegal building approvals.
Kiambu head of Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Richard Mwaura said they are investigating the matter.
"We are now focused on rescuing the victims and will deal with the rest later," he stated.
