This archive report was first published on 10 June 2020.
On Tuesday night, a three-storey residential building in Kericho County collapsed at 7:30 pm, trapping a six-year-old boy inside.
After a six-hour search and rescue mission, the local emergency team led by County Police Commander Silas Gichunge and Kenya Red Cross Society coordinator Sifia Tuwei retrieved the boy's body in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
The building, which housed six families, had started showing cracks on Sunday before slowly sinking and eventually collapsing.
According to Gichunge, the boy had succumbed to his injuries by the time rescuers managed to reach him.
Tuwei confirmed that the boy's mother, brother, and a housemaid were accounted for, but the family's whereabouts were uncertain.
Investigations are ongoing, with the police suspecting that the building's caretaker may have fled the scene after the collapse.
One tenant accused the landlord of negligence, claiming that he had been aware of the building's structural issues but failed to take adequate action.
Charles Chaglano, the owner of Tebs View Court, made a brief appearance at the site before leaving.
