This archive report was first published on 29 December 2021.
On December 28, 2021, a maize store in Kitale's Miti Moja Tuwan estate collapsed, burying eight people under its debris.
The building, which housed over 3,000 bags of dry maize, fell on nearby mud-walled structures used as rental premises.
County Commissioner Sam Ojwang' toured the scene and confirmed that the eight victims were treated for minor injuries and discharged from Kitale Level Four Hospital.
Ojwang' directed the removal of the maize bags from the store to search for other potential casualties, as the number of occupants in the affected housing units could not be immediately ascertained.
"I have directed the National Construction Authority, the County department of Public Works and other responsible agencies to investigate and establish if there was any negligence in the construction of the building," Ojwang' stated.
The owner of the store, Annah Wanjiku, claimed that tremors caused by heavy road construction machinery on the Kitale-Suam road had caused cracks and weak joints on the wall of the store, leading to the collapse.
