919 buildings in 26 counties unsafe for occupation – NBI

Close to 1,000 occupied buildings across in half the country have been found unsafe for occupation, the National Building Inspectorate has revealed. 

NBI Secretary Samuel Charagu said the inspectorate conducted inspections in 26 counties and established that about 919 buildings, the equivalent of five per cent, are dangerous for human habitation. 

Charagu said this at the site where a four storey building collapsed in Murang’a town Tuesday evening killing five construction workers.

He said the audit exercise which will be carried out in all the remaining counties saw the inspectorate audit the structural integrity of 19,606 buildings.

"Our role is to conduct a comprehensive audit of all buildings and as I have told governor Irungu Kang’ata, we will be coming to Murang’a to establish occupied buildings are safe," he said.

A section of the audited buildings are either unsafe or fair meaning they can be repaired to the required standards.

The official said inspections are carried out by a multi-agency team that ensures buildings found to be dangerous are evacuated.

"Once we find a building that should not be occupied, we alert the police and the National Disaster Management Unit to have their occupants removed. We did that in Ruiru  and a few weeks ago in Mombasa."

The National Construction Authority CEO Eng Maurice Akech said investigations had commenced to establish what led to the collapse of the building in Murang'a.

NCA is mandated to oversee and coordinate development of the construction industry in partnership with other regulators.

NCA works closely with the department of public works, Engineers Board of Kenya, Board registration of quality Surveyors and architects and county governments to ensure the right building standards are observed.

While condoling with families of the deceased persons, Akech said preliminary investigations had shown the building was on its last flour, the fourth floor, when it collapsed.

He said NCA is keen to ensure that all constructions happening in the country are compliant with regulatory requirements to guarantee safety of Kenyans.

Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang said once investigations into the building are concluded, their findings will inform the next course of action.

He lauded the Disaster Response Unit that helped recover the bodies of the victims and the county government and local leaders for their support.

As a strategy to seal loopholes in the construction sector, the PS noted that the Building Control Bill has been tabled in the Senate to right the wrongs that his department has noted regarding adherence to regulations.

"We are committed to ensure people live in a safe environment through NBI and ensure vigilance on constructions through NCA as we call on professionals to do their best in terms of supervision," the PS said.