A market building whose construction was commissioned by President William Ruto in Iten town has partly collapsed, sparking anger from residents.
Governor for Elgeyo Marakwet Wisley Rotich has ordered a probe into the cause of the collapse of the top gutter beam, several months into construction.
MCAs at the county assembly also demanded answers on the incident.
The market is located near Matata stage in Iten town and is expected to house small-scale traders.
Engineers from the Ministry of Housing and the county have been tasked to assess and give a proper report.
“Further, the National Construction Authority has been invited to make a thorough assessment of the entire building and provide a way forward,” the governor said in a statement.
He warned that shoddy work would endanger the lives of traders and ensuring high quality and standard was not negotiable.
The county boss later summoned the contractors to explain what caused the collapse.
The contractor would ultimately take responsibility for the errors, Rotich added.
“We also confirm that no one was injured during the incident. We urge the community to be patient as the relevant authorities look into the incident,” the governor said.
“This is a noble project in line with President Ruto’s bottom-up economic policy and we will ensure it goes on smoothly despite the challenge we have experienced which will be rectified.”
However, the incident stirred a major online debate, as residents queried circumstances leading to the collapse.
Rotich had inspected the construction ten days ago and residents wondered why his team did not detect problems with the building.
“It’s shameful for such a major government project to collapse as if qualified engineers are not involved in its construction,” Ben Kiprop said.
The project is fully funded by the national government but it will be operated by the county.
The President commissioned the
construction work early this year at
an estimated cost of Sh50 million.