The contractor of the collapsed Mirema Springs building in Roysambu, Nairobi has been arrested.
A police source attached at Kasarani Station confirmed that the contractor was arrested for using poor structural concrete during construction which led to the collapse of the storey building.
The officer confirmed that the contractor will remain in custody pending the conclusion of the investigation in the coming days.
His arrest comes even as the National Construction Authority (NCA) faulted the contractor for going against Section 16 of the building code, physical & Land Use Planning Act (2019) by using substandard materials.
In a statement, NCA Executive Director Maurice Akech revealed that despite the collapse, the building's owner had received the necessary permits and documents from the Nairobi County and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
He added that although the building under construction was ten-storeys, the owner had received an approval of the construction of a 12-storey building.
NCA, however, did not reveal the extent of the damage but pointed out that a vehicle and Kenya Power infrastructure were also damaged as a result of the incident.
This comes as Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, on September 11, 2023, launched a crackdown over substandard buildings in the county.
He said that residents living in the said buildings would be required to move to pave way for demolitions.
The governor urged contractors, building owners and engineers to avoid cutting corners in the construction of houses to avoid future incidents.
"Do not try to save Ksh200,000 or Ksh1 million while using cheap materials and end up losing your Ksh50 million building," Sakaja said.
