This archive report was first published on 18 December 2021.
On Friday, a four-storey building at the Sunstar hotel in Makeji, Gatanga, Murang'a County, collapsed, trapping five people beneath the rubble.
Central Regional Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga has directed the arrest of the hotel's three directors and six other professionals responsible for the building's construction.
According to Nyagwanga, the fugitives are being pursued by the police, and he has asked them to surrender, stating that it is an offense to go into hiding after such a mishap.
Rescuers have retrieved three bodies from the debris, and the rescue operation is ongoing around the clock, led by a multi-agency team.
Authorities believe there are five more people trapped beneath the rubble, and the cause of the collapse is attributed to professional negligence.
Contractors were using Y10 steel to build column structures instead of the recommended Y16, compromising the integrity of the building works, according to local residents.
Murang'a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria has blamed the National Construction Authority for abdicating its supervisory duties on ongoing constructions in the county.
