Four bodies have so far been recovered from the rambles of a 3-storey building that collapsed in Murang’a town on Monday evening.
An unknown number of workers were trapped inside the building.
According to Murang’a County Commissioner Patrick Mukuria, four other people were rescued alive and are being treated at the Murang’a County referral hospital.
“So far four bodies have been recovered from the scene and the search and rescue mission is underway to look for other people believed to have been trapped inside,” said Mukuria.
According to Mukuria, the site command centre reported that 14 people were in the building when it collapsed.
He stated that a multi-agency team comprised of the Disaster Response Unit, the Red Cross, the fire department, and security agents is on the scene.
Murang’a County Commander David Kainga said the building’s owner, contractor, and foreman have all been arrested and will face charges for the deaths.
He stated that officers from the National Construction Authority (NCA) have begun an investigation into the building’s collapse.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata, for his part, exonerated himself, claiming that the building plan had been approved by the previous administration.
Kang’ata claimed that the documents for the building’s approval and plan could not be found in his office, implying that it was a corrupt deal.
As a result, the governor stated that he has taken action to have the officer in charge of physical planning removed from office, claiming that he was involved in corrupt deals.
He also stated that the county, in collaboration with NCA and NBI, will conduct an audit on all ongoing constructions.
When the building collapsed, some witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a cloud of dust cover the area.
The police had a difficult time controlling the large crowd that had gathered at the scene in an attempt to rescue those who were trapped inside.
According to some witnesses, the building was being built at a rapid pace, which may have contributed significantly to its collapse.
Others claimed that the structure was built on swampy ground that was unfit for such a structure.
They accused the county government of approving the building’s plans and said those who approved them should be held accountable.
