A five-storey building that had developed cracks at Ruiru town, in Kiambu County has collapsed shortly after it was evacuated.
The building, which was divided into commercial and residential parts and was located right opposite the Ruiru police station, collapsed in the wee hours of Monday morning.
Fortunately, more than 100 tenants and residents in nearby buildings had already been evacuated as part of an emergency operation overseen by Governor Kimani Wamatangi.
On November 20th, Wamatangi issued an order requiring all residents of the building to evacuate.
“The house is too dangerous for you to stay in, so we are asking you to leave. We are going to cordon off the building in forty-five minutes,” he said.
The ill-fated building had been condemned by authorities for substandard work.
Forensic investigations are ongoing.
This is the second building to collapse in Kiambu County in two weeks, following another in the Ruaka region.
Another 7-story building under construction in the Kasarani area collapsed last week, killing three people.
Kiambu County Governor Kimani Wamatangi disbanded the technical committee in charge of approving building applications and inspecting building construction following the collapse of the Ruaka building on Thursday.
