The Town and County Planners Association of Kenya (TCPAK) has slammed the government over what it says is complacency in dealing with substandard buildings.
The association was reacting to the Friday incident where, yet again, a building under construction collapsed in Gatanga, Murang’a County, killing six workers.
The building, belonging to the Sunstar Hotel which is owned by electrical supplies entrepreneur Abraham Karuti Itabari, collapsed while most of the workers were out for lunch, leaving behind four plumbers, three masons and a handyman who were trapped.
As the rescue operation ended on Monday, the association of planners said the government has for too long been too complacent on the tragedy of collapsing buildings by allowing impunity to thrive.
Gatanga police boss Peter Muchemi confirmed there were six fatalities while one person had been rescued alive on Sunday after spending three days beneath the rubble.
Two who were earlier believed to have been trapped in the rubble were later traced to their rural homes where they had gone to recover from their shock after escaping from the collapsed building.
Following the incident, Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia ordered the National Building Inspectorate to commence the demolition of 4,000 houses across the country which he said stand condemned as unfit.
He said poor workmanship is the leading cause of the building tragedies in the country. Other causes, he said, include use of substandard materials, non-compliance to building standards and regulations, inadequate structural design and overloading, and inadequate maintenance of structures.
“It is not the first time that lives are being lost in a building that was a death trap and which shot up into the air as government witnessed. I hope the government will do what is supposed to be done without treating us to face saving drama hoping that we will forget, forgive and move on,” said TCPAK Chairman Mairura Omwenga.
TCPAK now wants the authorities to match their rhetoric threats with action.
According to a 2020 report by NCA after assessing 14,895 buildings, it was found out that 10,791 were unsafe and either needed to be demolished or reinforced before occupation. Another 1,217 were found to be fair and only 2,194 certified as safe. The report indicated that thousands of buildings across the country exist without legally known approval. – Daily Nation
