A damning report by the National Construction Authority (NCA) has revealed serious regulatory lapses and professional misconduct that led to the partial collapse and subsequent demolition of an 11-storey building in Mombasa in April. The report highlights a chain of failures across multiple sectors of the construction process.
The building, located at Kilifi Corner in Fayaz Estate, was declared structurally unsafe on April 9 after a multi-agency assessment found critical foundational damage. The collapse of ground floor columns—triggered by unauthorised borehole drilling, led to the building sinking by nearly three metres. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) later carried out a successful controlled demolition using explosives to prevent further risk.
A multi-agency task force formed by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir identified a range of systemic issues, including credential renting by licensed engineers and architects, and inadequate inspections by both county officers and NCA personnel. The probe revealed that the building lacked essential site investigations, such as a geological survey, and suffered from fundamental design flaws.
“There was poor professional supervision and a complete disregard for regulatory protocols,” the report stated, pointing to conflicts of interest where county staff reviewed projects submitted by their colleagues. The task force also found discrepancies between county records and NCA data, a lack of standard project checklists, and the absence of peer reviews.
Accountability extended beyond the design professionals. The developer, contractors with insufficient technical qualifications, unlicensed workers, and a county officer who enabled regulatory shortcuts were all found culpable.
Governor Nassir expressed strong condemnation: “We shall ensure that people who are building in Mombasa are prosecuted because that is endangering people’s lives.”
The task force has recommended sweeping reforms, including strict penalties for credential renting, mandatory conflict-of-interest disclosures, and compulsory peer reviews for complex or high-risk projects to prevent future tragedies.
Written By Rodney Mbua
