This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On Tuesday night, a seven-year-old boy lost his life in the collapse of a three-storey residential building in Kericho town. The tragedy has raised concerns about the safety of buildings in the area and the role of local authorities in ensuring compliance with building codes.
Ainamoi MP Slyvanus Maritim, who visited the site, has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse. He has also urged the Kericho County government to take responsibility for the tragedy and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
According to Maritim, the National Construction Authority (NCA) and the county's department of Lands, Physical Planning and Survey should be held accountable for the tragedy. He has also asked the governor's administration to probe how the building was cleared for occupation despite concerns over its structural soundness.
Little Ronald Kimutai was crushed to death inside his parents' house on the third floor of the building. His aunt, Priscilla Chepkorir, who managed to rescue Kimutai's four-year-old sister, said she was in the kitchen preparing dinner when she heard neighbours screaming as they took to the stairs when the building began to creak.
When they had safely moved out of the building, she realised Kimutai was missing. Kimutai's mother had just stepped out of the house to move household goods into a room in the adjacent building where they were preparing to move to.
Cracks in the building had been noticed by the family on Sunday, and they were in the process of moving to another house within Tebs View Court. The Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) South Rift chapter vice chairman David Koskei said preliminary findings showed the ground on which the building stood had been weakened by the ongoing rains.
He asked developers to engage qualified professionals when putting up buildings. NCA officials who visited the scene yesterday inspected the rubble, but declined to comment, citing a lack of authority to comment on the structural soundness of the building.
