The National Construction Authority has said more than 70 per cent buildings in Nairobi are unsafe for occupation.
This is roughly three out of every four buildings.
The authority depicts a worrying situation regarding the safety of the buildings in the city and its environs.
Executive director Daniel Manduku told a parliamentary committee yesterday unsafe construction is abetted by some developers, contractors and construction workers defying closure notices from the authority.
“Several factors have been attributed to the collapse of the buildings, including poor workmanship, lack of adherence to construction regulations, lack of professional input and use of poor quality construction materials,” he told the National Assembly Transport Committee.
The NCA boss’s revelations come after President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit check of all buildings in Nairobi’s Eastlands area to determine quality assurances and recommend remedial action.
The president’s directive followed the collapse of two buildings in Nairobi that killed more than 15 people.
One building collapsed in Makongeni on December 17 and the other in Huruma on January 4.
Manduku said the audit of buildings has been delayed by Treasury’s failure to release Sh150 million for the work.
He said in the current financial year, only Sh38 million out of the Sh1.2 billion allocated to the authority has been released, making it difficult to recruit staff.
Manduku blamed cartels conspiring with the planning department at City Hall to put the lives of Kenyans in danger.
He said owners of buildings that fail to meet the requirements will be issued with closure notices.
But he said that the notices have not been enough as the building owners conspire with the police to allow them to proceed.
“If a building fails to stand the audit requirement, demolition is necessary. But in a documented case, the police allowed the completion of a condemned building and in 13 days, two floors had been done despite closure notices,” Manduku said.