A two-year-old boy in Eastleigh died on Saturday, May 28, after debris from a nearby 10-storey building hit him while he was watching television.
Speaking to the media, the caretaker of the nearby building Kelvin Nyaga narrated that the two-year-old who was seated on a bed, was hit on the head and chest by three bricks which fell from the building.
He narrated that several bricks fell from the building at around noon tearing through the roof of the nearby building where the boy was seated.
“A big wall fell apart and hit different places around the nearby buildings but three blocks hit the child. We tried rushing him to the hospital but he had already died,” Kelvin Nyaga, the caretaker stated.
Further, he stated that well-wishers rushed the boy to the hospital but he passed away before they reached the hospital. Other children who were in the house were unharmed as they were playing in a different room.
"We called the owner of the building but we could not reach him on the phone so we went to the police and reported the incident," he added.
According to the residents, that was the second time debris was falling from the building explaining that the first time it happened, the bricks fell on vehicles that were parked nearby, destroying them but residents were not hurt.
The construction of the building had been stopped after police officers visited the site to determine if there was adherence to the regulation issued by the law.
Family lawyer George Omwansa stated that they would move to court to sue the owner of the building for neglect and failing to ensure and safeguard the safety of residents in the area.
"The owner of that property owes a duty of care not only to the neighbouring property but also to the people who stay. We shall be holding him liable and he shall face the court on criminal charges.
“There is already trauma in the neighbourhood and I have spoken to a few people around here and they are not comfortable being around the premises,” he noted.
This followed an incident in Mombasa on Saturday, May 27, when a storey building collapsed leaving several people injured.
Locals called upon the county government to be more strict with the guidelines on buildings in the county to prevent such disasters.
