History of collapsed buildings in Nairobi

Buildings collapse because of poor quality of concrete, lack of proper foundation and use of substandard building stones.

Residents in shock after a residential building in Huruma, Nairobi, crumbled on April 29, 2016. The owner, who reportedly owns three other buildings in the area, hired people to conceal the ‘X’ mark usually placed on structures marked for demolition. PHOTO | ROBERT NGUGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP  

In Summary

• President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit on the state of buildings in the city last year.
• Twenty two people have been confirmed dead following the collapse of a building in Huruma last Friday.

By AGGREY MUTAMBO
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After several buildings collapsed last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit.

The audit covered most parts of Eastlands, Dagoretti, Kasarani, Zimmerman, Roysambu, Githurai 44 and 45, Garden Estate, Thome, and Kilimani.

The report concluded that buildings collapse because of poor quality of concrete, lack of proper foundation and use of substandard building stones.

Here is a list of buildings that have collapsed in the recent past:

April 28, 2016: A wall collapsed along Nairobi’s Lenana Road. Three people died and several others injured.

March 09, 2016: A four-storey building in Zimmerman, Nairobi, whose construction was questioned two years before collapsed. No one was injured since it had been vacated.

May 11, 2015: A perimeter wall at a South B mosque collapsed due to heavy rains. 10 people died.

April 2, 2015: Seven people died and many others trapped after a building behind Thika Road Mall in Roysambu collapsed.

Jan 4, 2015: Five people died and several others injured after a six-storey residential building collapsed in Huruma estate.

December 17, 2014: A five-storey residential building that was partly occupied and was still under construction collapsed in Kaloleni. Seven people died.

January 10, 2010: A building in Kiambu town collapsed due to heavy rains. Three people died.

June 9, 2012: Three people died after a building under construction collapsed in Mlolongo.

September 17, 2011: Four died after a three-storey building collapsed in heavy rainfall at Mabona area of Lwanda trading centre in Emuhaya, Vihiga County.

June 14, 2011: Two workers died after a six-storey building under construction collapsed in Nairobi

January 2006: A five- storey building under construction along Ronald Ngala Street collapsed. 14 people died and 14 more injured.