2 Killed in Second Kenya Building Collapse This Week

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI

Onlookers gather at the scene of a building collapse in Ruaka, on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. The collapse of the building under construction is the second such collapse in a matter of days in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations. (AP Photo)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A multi-story building under construction collapsed on a neighboring home in the outskirts of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, killing two people on Thursday, authorities said.

Three other people have been rescued alive from the family home that was next to the collapsed building located in the Ruaka suburb.

A son of the couple killed in the collapse, Fredrick Kamau, told The Associated Press that “by the time the ambulance came they had already died.”

Strewn household goods and furniture from the couple’s home were visible at the site as Kamau displayed photos of his late parents.

The early morning collapse is the second such incident this week as construction authorities warn of unpermitted buildings coming up in the city and its outskirts.

On Tuesday, a multi-story building collapsed in the city and construction workers were trapped inside.

Three people were confirmed dead from that incident, and the owner of the building, who is to be arrested and charged, has been on the run.

Building collapses are common in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations.

After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, the presidency ordered an audit of all the country’s buildings to see if they were up to code. The National Construction Authority found that 58% of the buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation.