Government To Go After Developers Of Unsafe Buildings

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 18 – The Government has warned developers found constructing buildings that have already been marked unsafe that they shall be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Speaking as he launched Guidelines to Promote Healthy Homes, Public Works PS Solomon Kitungu said such developers who portray themselves as architects take advantage to construct at night.

He noted that the government has in the last three months, inspected and tested over 300 buildings in Nairobi and that the same is happening in other major towns.

The PS said for now already 90 buildings have been marked unsafe in Nairobi and urged Kenyans to be on the lookout and report to the chief’s office if they see anyone building a house that is marked unsafe, adding that most of the quacks build at night.

Kitungu said the collapsing buildings had no signpost and they had fake approvals meaning they were not built by professionals.

“Whatever buildings are collapsing now, were identified as unsafe buildings and were built at night,” he said.

The PS said at the moment the government is addressing the issue of building the houses at night adding that, once done with that there shall be no more collapsing of buildings.

The PS mentioned that areas of Eastland in Nairobi as the most affected, especially the newer estates with Nairobi and Kiambu County that were leading in the menace.

He said areas neighbouring Nairobi also have had issues of collapsing houses.

This week two buildings collapsed, including a seven-storey building at Kasarani in Nairobi and a six-storey building at Ruaka area on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) has been calling upon the Nairobi County Government to review the current building code to avoid the collapse of buildings as witnessed in Nairobi and Kiambu counties.