At least one person lost his life while several others sustained injuries after a building under construction collapsed in Kericho on Wednesday, March 18.
The incident occurred in Kaptebeswet area, Kipchebor Ward, triggering a rescue operation from the county government.
“The County Government of Kericho has received reports of a building under construction that has collapsed at Kaptebeswet, Kipchebor Ward. We have swiftly dispatched our emergency response teams, including firefighting units and ambulances, to the scene,” a statement from the county read.
Excavators have also been deployed at the scene, along with other heavy machinery, to support ongoing rescue efforts.
An image showing emergency services heading to the scene of a collapsed building in Kericho for rescue efforts, with people scampering in all directions.
MrChorus Kemboi
Images shared by Kericho County Government show a partially collapsed building under construction, with a concrete slab that has caved in, exposing broken reinforcement bars and a damaged support column beneath it. The images further show wooden formwork that appears unstable and loosely held together.
Kenya Red Cross also confirmed the incident, with their rescue team deployed, managing to rescue at least four of the construction workers who were trapped in the rubble from the incident.
“A building has collapsed in the Kaptebeswet Bypass area in Kericho County. Several people are feared trapped under the debris as rescue operations have begun. Response teams are on site, with four individuals successfully rescued so far,” highlighted the Kenya Red Cross.
This adds to the growing list of buildings that have collapsed since the beginning of the year. Four people died after a partially demolished building collapsed at Blue Estate in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, on March 18. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) were deployed to hasten the rescue operations in this incident.
Elsewhere, at least two people were feared dead after a multi-storey building under construction collapsed on Friday, January 2, in the Shopping Centre area of Nairobi’s South C estate, causing panic among residents and passersby.
With these incidents on the rise, the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) has attributed the rise in collapsed buildings to rogue developers, poor construction practices, and a lack of involvement from registered, professional engineers.
Key issues include developers bypassing regulations, substituting qualified professionals with unlicensed personnel, and neglecting structural standards, often aided by weak regulatory oversight.
In a joint statement released by more than 10 Engineering bodies in Kenya, they revealed that more than 200 buildings have collapsed in Kenya since 1996, and warned that a culture of impunity has made such failures a recurring national tragedy.
The government itself, through the Ministry of Lands and Public Works, Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, warned developers, contractors, and officials that they will face the “burden of punishment” if found complicit in giving the green light to improper structures in the country.
An undated image of Kenya Red Cross officials during rescue operations at a collapsed building site.
Photo
Kenya Red Cross
